Breacher
by Hydra1337
Summary: When a portal manifests in the heart of S.T.A.R. Labs Eobard finally believes he has found a way home. Instead he is forced to shelter an injured metahuman whose origins he can hardly fathom. This is a self-insert friendship fanfic so there will be no romantic pairings.
1. Prologue

**I've been steadily working on this fanfic over the last month or so during my spare time and it finally got to the point where I wanted to share it. Big shout out to Death By Verbicide. Her fanfic "The Uncontrollable and The Impossible" has seriously helped motivate me to become a better writer.**

 **Enjoy.**

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Dr. Harrison Wells smiled as wind blew past his face and yellow lightning flashed a few feet in front of him. Loose papers flew off the desk he shared with his longtime employees Cisco Ramon and Dr. Caitlin Snow. When the wind and lightning subsided Barry Allen stood in the middle of the room. He pulled back his suit's scarlet cowl and smiled at his team.

"Excellent work as usual, Mr. Allen," Dr. Wells congratulated.

"You totally killed it tonight, Barry," Cisco agreed cheerfully.

"Except for your glucose levels your vitals were completely stable the entire night," Caitlin informed Barry. "You need to make sure you eat better after your...our...hero nights."

Barry laughed. "Hero nights?"

"That's why I'm the one that assigns names," Cisco said as he walked around the large desk.

"You've only named three metahumans," Caitlin shot back.

"And Captain Cold," Cisco reminded her.

Caitlin pursed her lips. "Either way I think I'm entitled to name things once in a while."

Cisco opened his mouth to continue the friendly banter but Dr. Wells cut him off.

"At any rate, I believe we should call it a night," Dr. Wells said. "It has been a long day for us all and I'm sure CCPD can handle any further disturbances."

Barry used his super speed to put his suit back on the mannequin on the other side of the room and get dressed into his normal clothes. Cisco headed for the door as he called for Caitlin to hurry. She quickly readied her purse and grabbed her jacket. The trio bid Dr. Wells a good night and he did the same in return.

Once Dr. Wells felt sure that they were far enough he pressed a hidden button under the desk. The bottom drawer to his right clicked and then slid open to reveal an expensive bottle of bourbon and a single crystal glass. When he pressed a few buttons on his keyboard classical music gently began to play from the computer's speakers. He poured himself a small drink and wheeled himself to the mannequin with Barry's suit. He took a sip of the alcohol as he gazed at the suit with a thoughtful expression on his face.

Later that night as Dr. Wells typed at his computer the overhead lights flickered. He briefly paused his typing to glance up at the lights. A soft jingling sound brought his attention down to his drink. The alcohol rippled as the glass clattered softly on the trembling desk. He felt a vibration in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. His eyes widened when he saw the alert on the screen. He immediately stood from his wheelchair and ran at a speed that far surpassed Barry's. Crimson red lightning crackled behind him as he raced through the hallways to a white room with a series of large, Braille-like dots spread across every wall. The moment he entered the room the trembling drastically intensified.

Dr. Wells put his hand on the white podium at the end of the room. The hologram of a blue head projected out of the podium onto the wall in front of him.

"Gideon, where is the rupture?" he asked urgently.

"In the bunker. The—"

Before Gideon could finish Dr. Wells changed into his yellow and black suit and then ran down several flights of stairs into a large room cluttered with broken equipment. In the center of the room a small crack hovering in midair emitted a flickering blue light. The crack steadily grew larger until it burst into a swirling blue portal. A wave of red energy surged into the room from within the portal.

In the midst of the energy Dr. Wells saw the silhouette of a person inside. He easily dodged the energy blast and made a break for the portal. Before he could reach the portal it snapped shut and the crack faded away. He came to an abrupt halt as he stared into the space in front of him.

The man's shock contorted into pure rage. He grabbed a nearby computer monitor and threw it across the room. The monitor shattered loudly when it slammed into the concrete wall. In the midst of his rage he heard something stir behind him.

Remembering the silhouette from before Dr. Wells ran back across the room. His face began to vibrate at such a speed it only appeared to be a blur and his eyes glowed bright red.

The young woman at his feet lay nearly completely still. Only slow, weak breaths served as a sign that she was alive. Dr. Wells observed that her pink tank top and tight pale blue jeans were splattered with blood. Her lightly tanned skin was covered in cuts of varying severity but nothing appeared life threatening. There were small shards of glass stuck throughout her dark brown braided ponytail.

A faint light beneath her eyelids caught Dr. Wells's attention. He knelt down and carefully reached out to force her eyes open. Suddenly the woman's glowing eyes opened and a translucent force field of pale blue light threw Dr. Wells back several feet.

Dr. Wells quickly regained his footing but kept his distance. The force field flickered away and the woman's eyes stopped glowing. She then did something he didn't expect—she smiled at him.

"Eo...bar..." she struggled to whisper.

Her dark chocolate eyes slid shut as she fell unconscious. Dr. Wells stared at her unsure what to think. As he took another look at her he noticed something in her hand. He carefully reached down and pulled the object from her hand. His eyes widened in shock and he looked back down at the unconscious woman.

"Who are you?" he asked quietly.

###

From across the room Dr. Wells silently supervised Caitlin as she continued to clean and bandage the various cuts on the unconscious woman's body. When Caitlin finished she wrote a few things in the woman's file and approached Dr. Wells.

"The cuts on her arms and legs were relatively minor," Caitlin informed him with a frown. "Her skull isn't fractured but she'll most likely have a concussion when she wakes up."

"How was her bloodwork?" Dr. Wells asked curiously.

"Well, she definitely has the metahuman gene," Caitlin confirmed. "Her estrogen level was a little higher than I expected it to be but other than that her bloodwork was totally normal. She also didn't have any kind of ID so I'm running a sample of her blood to figure out who she is. We should have results back soon."

Dr. Wells nodded. "I apologize for calling you to the lab at this hour, Dr. Snow. I know how trying the last few days have been."

Caitlin smiled warmly at her mentor.

"You know I'm happy to help any time, Dr. Wells," she said.

Dr. Wells smiled back at her. "I believe I can handle the situation from here," he said. "If there are any changes I will let you know."

Caitlin appeared like she wanted to argue but instead she bid Dr. Wells good night and went home. The moment she left S.T.A.R. Labs Dr. Wells ran out of his wheelchair to the podium in his hidden room.

"Gideon, show me the future," he commanded.

"Certainly," the robotic voice replied politely.

Light projected out of the podium onto the wall in front of him. The hologram of a newspaper materialized from the light and all color drained from Dr. Wells's face.

"No…" he murmured. His face contorted and his left fist connected with the wall. "NO!"

* * *

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the prologue. The first chapter will be up as soon as the tweaking process is done.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Just to make sure no one gets confused I'm going to explain how the narration is going to be formatted from this point on. The story will be written using a combination of first and third person like how the** ** _House of Night_** **series is written.**

 **Also, thanks for the review and follows I got from the prologue. I didn't expect those notifications until after I posted a real chapter. lol**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

Early the following morning Barry sped into the office where Dr. Wells had been patiently waiting. Barry gently shut the glass door behind him.

"So, you said you wanted to discuss something important with me?" Barry asked in a confused tone. He seated himself in a chair across from Dr. Wells.

"Yes, it's about the metahuman I briefly mentioned on the phone," Dr. Wells informed his protégé. "Late last night she came to S.T.A.R. Labs with a number of injuries begging for assistance. Before she lost consciousness she described her assailant." Dr. Wells briefly paused as his expression suddenly turned very serious. "She claimed a man in yellow had kidnapped her but she managed to escape."

Barry's eyes widened in absolute shock.

"A man in yellow…the same man that killed my mother?" Barry asked in disbelief.

"We won't know for sure until she wakes up," Dr. Wells replied. "However, if she was kidnapped by the same man that killed your mother then the only safe place for her would be here at S.T.A.R. Labs. Which presents us with a dilemma."

"What do you mean?"

"We don't know who this young woman is. Both Caitlin and Cisco have scoured every database they could access and they can't find a matching DNA sample."

"So wait, she doesn't exist _anywhere_? Not even a family member?"

Dr. Wells shook his head before he continued. "No. That's what my concern is. If we shelter her here in S.T.A.R. Labs we would all be put at risk including you and your identity as the Flash."

Barry nodded as the reality of the situation slowly sank in.

"I have already discussed this with Cisco and Dr. Snow and they both felt that due to the circumstances you should have the final say on whether or not we keep the metahuman here," Dr. Wells told him.

Barry sat in silence as he carefully calculated his response. Suddenly he looked back up at Dr. Wells with a newfound fire in his eyes.

"If she escaped from the man in yellow she may be able to tell me something that could lead me to finally bringing him to justice for everything he's done," Barry said with conviction in his voice. "If it means one more person needs to know my identity to get my dad out of prison then I'll do whatever it takes."

Dr. Wells smiled at Barry proudly. He knew the moment he spoke the words "man in yellow" Barry would do anything he suggested no matter how extreme. Dr. Wells hoped the unconscious metahuman one floor below would be just as easy to manipulate. He knew he needed to be far more cautious with her lest she tell someone his true identity before his return home.

###

My eyes flew open as I sat up straight. The intense dizziness that followed made me regret sitting up so quickly. With a weak groan I lay back down on my bed. I rolled onto my left side and let out a shocked, tired moan when I felt a sharp pain near my elbow. I opened my eyes again and gasped.

This time I ignored the dizziness as I sat up. I was lying in a hospital bed in a windowless room I didn't recognize and a metal stand with an IV bag hanging from it was positioned on my left. I followed the clear tube in the bottom of the bag to the small gauze pad in my arm. As I continued to study myself I saw that my arms and hands were covered in tiny cuts on the verge of healing. I wore black sweatpants and a dark blue T-shirt that read "S.T.A.R. Labs" in bold white letters.

 _S.T.A.R. Labs…_ I thought as I stared down at the T-shirt. _What is that?_

Clicking high heels coming from the open doorway to my left caught my attention. A young woman dressed in a knee length sapphire blue dress and white lab coat entered the room. Her chestnut brown hair fell past her shoulders in perfectly styled waves that gently bounced with every step. The nonchalant look on her pretty face quickly turned into a look of surprise when she saw me but she quickly regained her composure. She briskly walked to the cluttered desk across from me and leaned towards a microphone I hadn't noticed before.

"Dr. Wells she's awake!" the woman quickly said as she pressed a button on the microphone's base. "Please come down right away!"

I swore I heard her mutter something about a bathroom break but my hearing was so awful I couldn't be sure. When she finally reached my bedside she pulled a small flashlight out of her coat pocket and shined it in my eyes.

"How are you feeling?" she asked as she examined my eyes.

For a few seconds I struggled to find my voice.

"A little lightheaded but otherwise fine," I answered honestly.

The woman put the flashlight away and then checked a few things on the machines attached to my right side. She then turned to a medical cart beside her and grabbed a clear plastic cup with a sticker on the seam of the lid.

"I need you to urinate in this," she said, holding the cup out to me.

"Uh...okay," I said hesitantly as I took the cup. "Where's the bathroom?"

"It's on the other side of the room. Here, I'll help you up."

The woman carefully helped me swing my legs over the side of my bed and eased me to my feet. She kept a careful grip on my IV stand and monitor as she directed me to go through the door beside the desk. She urged me to take my time so I didn't push myself but I felt fine going at a steady walk.

From the smell in the bathroom I could tell it had been cleaned very recently. As soon as I gave her the sample she me walked back out and sat me on the bed. The woman rambled on about a series of tests as she examined the sealed jar before she set it in the metal cart on the right side of my bed. I didn't understand half of what she said so I essentially just smiled and nodded the entire conversation.

A few minutes later two more people entered the room. A tan boy with shoulder length black hair walked in behind a man wearing all black sitting in a motorized wheelchair. Despite their friendly smiles I felt increasingly anxious.

"Hey!" the boy greeted me in a cheerful voice. "Sleeping Beauty finally woke up!"

My dizziness started to come back as the dark-haired boy rambled on. I put on a smile in an attempt to disguise my discomfort.

"I'm Cisco Ramon, that's Caitlin-"

"Dr. Snow," she corrected him as she scribbled in a notepad.

"-and this is Dr. Harrison Wells," Cisco continued, gesturing to the man at his side.

The man politely nodded at me. His black hair was cut short and I thought I saw blue eyes behind black-framed glasses. I couldn't tell because my vision suddenly became blurry. I tried to blink the blurriness away but it didn't work.

"I..."

My voice trailed off as I instantly blacked out.

###

"How is she, Dr. Snow?" a male voice asked with concern.

 _Snow…?_ I thought hazily.

Images of falling snow and morning frost instantly came to mind. In my head I saw the silhouette of a woman whose features I couldn't quite make out. The visions in my mind faded away as I became more aware of my surroundings.

"Cisco, she's waking up," the same voice called out.

My eyes finally opened and I found Dr. Wells and Dr. Snow gathered around the bed with Cisco on his way over from the bathroom. As he got closer I noticed he now had a split lip, black eye, and a cut on his forehead held shut with a butterfly stitch.

"What happened?" I asked with concern.

Cisco and Dr. Snow immediately looked at Dr. Wells as if to silently ask him to answer my question. The man sat in silence as he carefully calculated his response.

"You did...albeit unintentionally," he explained.

"…Excuse me?" I asked, unsure of what else to say.

Dr. Wells folded his hands in his lap and gave me a serious look.

"Cisco, please play the footage," Dr. Wells requested.

Cisco nodded and quickly grabbed the tablet on Dr. Snow's medical cart. He tapped the screen a few times and then passed the tablet to me. I looked down at the device and saw footage of the room filmed from a camera in the hallway. Cisco introduced me to Dr. Wells as Dr. Snow scribbled away in her notebook. When I suddenly collapsed Cisco dove to catch me before I fell out of bed. A translucent bubble of blue light swiftly surrounded my body before Cisco could react. He smashed into the light headfirst and violently bounced backwards out of the camera's field of vision. Dr. Wells stopped the footage just as Dr. Snow rushed to Cisco's aid.

"We weren't able to go anywhere near you for several minutes," Dr. Wells explained, handing the tablet back to Cisco. "If we got too close the shield you created began to glow brightly."

"I can't believe I did that…" I muttered. "How is this even possible?"

"You don't recall having this ability?" Dr. Wells questioned. I shook my head. "Do you remember what happened to you?"

I tried to recall what happened before the first time I woke up in S.T.A.R. Labs. Absolutely nothing came to mind. I couldn't remember where I was when it happened. I didn't know if I was with anyone. I couldn't even remember the simplest detail of myself. Yet somehow I knew what a tablet was and what a butterfly stitch was called. It made no sense to me at all.

"I...I can't...remember anything," I told Dr. Wells. "I don't remember who I even am."

As I felt my heart race I noticed something glint in the corner of my eye. When I looked around my eyes widened. A shield like the one in the video began to form around me starting a few inches above my head. As the shield slowly extended downwards Dr. Snow and Cisco took a few cautious steps backwards.

"Oh my God," I uttered in terror.

While Cisco and Dr. Snow looked on nervously Dr. Wells showed no sign of fear at all. He only moved his wheelchair back just enough to avoid touching the shield.

"You need to calm down," Dr. Wells instructed gently. "Close your eyes."

Any words that wanted to come out got caught in my throat so I just listened to him. I closed my eyes as I waited for his next instructions.

"Focus on the shield," he said to me. "Focus on the energy creating it."

I cautiously extended my thoughts to my glowing prison. A foreign sensation rushed through my entire body which caused me to let out a startled gasp. My eyes opened and I saw the shield had stopped growing just before it touched my bedsheets.

"Imagine the energy dissipating," Dr. Wells continued.

I willed the shield to fade away and it obeyed. It receded until nothing remained and my connection vanished. I stared at the space it had been in amazement.

"I...I can't believe I did that," I said, still looking up.

"Your eyes were glowing too," Cisco stated with a big smile. "It was pretty dope."

"You did very well for your first conscious attempt," Dr. Wells complimented. I looked down at my hands bashfully. "If you continue to practice I'm confident you will eventually learn to control your new ability."

"I hope so..." I muttered.

Dr. Wells turned his attention to Cisco and Dr. Snow. "Why don't you two take a trip to Big Belly Burger? After all the excitement I believe we could all use a cheeseburger or two."

"Definitely, I'm starving," Cisco said with a nod.

Dr. Snow grabbed her purse out of her medical cart on the way out with Cisco. Once they were gone Dr. Wells returned his attention to me.

"Now then, before we continue our discussion there are a few things that I need to ask you," Dr. Wells said. "I know you said you don't remember who you are but is there anything you do remember? People you know, perhaps?"

I thought hard for a few seconds. At first nothing came to mind. Suddenly I recalled a familiar name.

"Evelyn," I said to him.

Dr. Wells frowned slightly as if that wasn't the answer he wanted to hear.

"Do any other names come to mind?" Dr. Wells asked. He leaned forward slightly in anticipation.

I closed my eyes to think again. I searched my brain for answers but nothing even stirred in the back of my head. The harder I thought the more frustration I felt.

"Open your eyes," Dr. Wells said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

When I opened my eyes I saw that my shield began to grow again. This time I struggled to make the shield stop. I shamefully looked down at my fidgety hands.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"There is nothing to be sorry about," Dr. Wells assured me. "I know you feel overwhelmed from waking up in a strange place with this incredible ability. Just know that I am here to help you." Dr. Wells put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "You will learn to control it. I promise."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I smiled at the kind man.

"Thank you, Dr. Wells," I said. "That means a lot to me."

Something about the way Dr. Wells spoke to me made my heart flutter around in my chest. He made me feel as if I would be safe with him. Yet in the back of my head I had a nagging feeling that warned me to be cautious around him. I easily pushed the paranoid thought out of my head.

"So, this name...do you remember anything about it?" Dr. Wells asked curiously.

I shook my head sadly. "No. It feels important to me but somehow I just...know that it isn't my name."

Dr. Wells hummed thoughtfully. "Perhaps you should temporarily adopt the name until you recover your memories."

"I guess I have to call myself something. Evelyn it is, I guess."

Dr. Wells gave me a small smile. "Let's get back to my original concern." His voice suddenly took on an eerily serious tone. "There is another metahuman that comes to this facility whose identity must not be revealed or it will put not only their loved ones in danger but you, me, Dr. Snow, and Cisco. We will all be at risk if their identity is ever revealed. After knowing all of that…" Dr. Wells leaned forward slightly with anticipation. "Can we trust you to keep this secret?"

"Of course," I replied without hesitation. "It's the least I could do after everything you three have done for me."

 _Plus it's not like I would know what to do on my own,_ I added in my head.

As we waited for Cisco and Dr. Snow to return Dr. Wells went into a little more detail about how I ended up at his facility. Apparently five days ago I showed up at the lab's front door with minor injuries all over my body and significant head trauma. Before I fainted I told him I escaped captivity from a man in yellow. This ruthless man had the ability to run at incredibly high speeds and had no qualms about hurting innocent people if it served his purpose.

Dr. Wells also told me about a device he created called a particle accelerator that most likely gave me my power when it exploded ten months ago. I asked if the particle accelerator gave the man in yellow his power as well but Dr. Wells denied it. He claimed the man in yellow had his power long before the particle accelerator's construction began.

As Dr. Wells continued to educate me about S.T.A.R. Labs my mind wandered off.

 _I wonder what Big Belly Burger tastes like…_

###

Barry's excited expression quickly shifted into one of disappointment. Cisco and Caitlin gave him sympathetic looks.

"She doesn't remember anything?" he questioned his friends.

"It doesn't look like it, no…" Caitlin responded with a frown.

"Could it just be a side effect of her head injury from when Dr. Wells found her?" Barry asked desperately.

"It's possible," Caitlin replied with a doubtful look.

"We also don't know what that psycho did to her," Cisco said in an attempt to comfort his friend. "For all we know he doped her up with something."

"Either way I'm sure her memory will return soon," Caitlin said hopefully.

A teenage boy behind the counter called out an order number. Cisco and Caitlin rushed to grab the food while Barry trudged behind them with a solemn aura surrounding him.

"I'm sorry, Dad…" he whispered. "Hold on just a little longer..."

###

When Cisco and Caitlin finally returned from Big Belly Burger they had a lot more food than I expected. They had three overflowing bags of food each and said someone named Barry was taking care of the rest. A tall young man with brown hair entered the lab carrying two more bags of food and a drink carrier with four cups of soda. When he put the food and drinks down he approached me with a warm smile.

"Hi, I'm Barry Allen," he said as he held out his hand.

I firmly shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Barry."

"So, uh...what's your name?" Barry asked me, shoving his hands into his pants pockets.

"I have no idea," I said honestly. "I'm just going to call myself Evelyn since that's the first name I thought of."

Barry let out a short laugh. "That works. Anyway—"

"Dude, you forgot the straws in the car," Cisco cut in.

Barry looked at the drink tray and sighed when he saw that Cisco was right.

"I'll be right back," Barry announced.

I expected Barry to simply walk away. He didn't. He vanished in a gust of wind and yellow lightning and then reappeared next to Cisco. Barry held his drink as he put a plastic straw through the lid. When he took a sip he finally realized I was staring at him.

"They didn't tell you what my power was?" Barry assumed.

"We were going to let you tell her," Dr. Wells said. His amused smile turned my cheeks bright pink.

"Oh..." Barry mumbled. He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, now you know I'm fast."

"I guess so," I said, unsure of what else to say.

Over lunch Barry excitedly told me all about how he got his ability. He got struck by lightning at his workplace during the particle accelerator explosion and his body got splattered by various chemicals. After Barry discovered his power he dedicated all the time he could to saving people of the city from various criminals or disasters. Their most recent adversary had been a metahuman that could turn himself into poisonous gas Cisco proudly nicknamed "The Mist".

Cisco chimed in mid conversation to add that he designed the red suit and mask Barry wore for when he saved people. While Barry did the actual saving Cisco, Dr. Snow, and Dr. Wells stayed at STAR Labs to monitor his vitals and keep an eye on the city for others that potentially needed his help.

"Your life sounds really chaotic but interesting," I said as I tossed my burger wrapper into the trash pile at the foot of my bed. "You guys do a lot for the city."

"That's very kind of you, Evelyn," Dr. Wells said.

I blushed and looked down at my hands out of embarrassment.

"On a more serious note there is something we still need to discuss," Dr. Wells said, removing his glasses as he spoke. He cleaned one lens with the hem of his shirt before putting his glasses back on. "You may have no memory of your captivity at the hands of the man in yellow but that doesn't necessarily mean you are no longer in danger. For now the only safe place for you is here at S.T.A.R. Labs where we can hide you from him. While you are here we would like to study your ability and run tests as you learn to harness it so that we can learn how it works."

"That sounds more than fair to me," I stated. "It's the least I could do for everything you guys have already done for me. I don't know what that man in yellow is capable of but I'm glad I managed to escape and now I have you four to back me."

Barry looked like he was about to say something but a ring tone interrupted him. He pulled out his cell phone and excused himself to answer the phone call. Meanwhile Dr. Snow unhooked me from the monitor and IV bag since my vitals were stable and the bag was finally empty. Suddenly Barry bid us all a rushed farewell and ran out of the lab to the Central City Police Department. I smiled when I noticed he gathered all the trash from lunch before he left.

As for the rest of us we stayed at S.T.A.R. Labs to begin my series of tests. Dr. Snow drew so much blood out of my arm part of me was surprised I had any left to keep my heart pumping. Once she had all the blood she needed everyone guided upstairs to be scanned in various machines.

However, the second I entered the room to have a CT scan the machine suddenly shut down. Cisco entered the room to examine the machine.

"This is the third time I've fixed this stupid machine," he grumbled. He looked over the machine's internals and threw his hands out to his sides. "I don't get it! It should be working fine but it keeps breaking! I swear I'm going to kick this thing!"

"Evelyn, could you step out of the room for a moment?" Dr. Wells asked through the loudspeaker. "I have a theory I'd like to test. Cisco, please reboot the machine once Evelyn is in here with us."

I heard Cisco tinkering with the machine as I entered the observation room. I stood beside Dr. Wells and watched Cisco through the window. Before long the machine was running smoothly again.

"Interesting…" Dr. Wells muttered thoughtfully. He pressed a button on the microphone. "Cisco, could you please bring me a UV detection scanner? I believe I have solved our problem."

Cisco gave Dr. Wells a confused look but fulfilled his request. A few minutes later Cisco returned with a bulky handheld device. He turned the device on and it let out a series of beeps.

"Whoa, that's crazy!" Cisco exclaimed as he read the device's screen. He held the device out to Dr. Wells so he could see as well. "Do you see what I'm seeing right now?"

"Yes, Cisco," he replied with a smile. Dr. Wells turned his attention to me. "While you were still unconscious we attempted several tests but the machines kept shutting down anytime you went near them. As it turns out your power was what caused it. It appears the shield you create is made from pure ultraviolet energy."

"Wait, so I'm radioactive?" I asked nervously.

Dr. Wells shook his head. "No. This device has told us that the UV energy you emit is not harmful to us but it can still effect certain machines because it is still raw energy. I believe your body somehow filters out the harmful effects."

"That's really cool," I said with wide eyes. "I wonder how that works."

Dr. Wells was glad to see that I was just as enthusiastic about finding out how my power works.

In between tests that used machines my power didn't interfere with I got to know Cisco a little better. He loved anything sci-fi related and took it upon himself to put together an extremely long list of movies and TV shows he determined I needed to watch. At the end of the day he even gave me a basic laptop he never used just so I could watch movies and such. Cisco claimed he didn't want me to die of boredom before he could really see my power in action.

I laughed off his joke but inside I still felt on edge. I feared what the man in yellow would do to me if he found me again.

By the end of the day I felt exhausted. Just as Dr. Snow suggested I get something to eat Barry showed up with Chinese take-out and a cheesy smile. The stereotypical white boxes gave me a smile that matched Barry's. The young speedster portioned out the food and everyone began eating using two wooden sticks as utensils.

When Barry saw my confused look he explained that they were Asian utensils called chopsticks and taught me how to use them. Rather, he attempted to teach me. After a few frustrating tries I gave up and Barry gave me a fork to use.

I asked how I could know what butterfly stitches were but not chopsticks. No one had any definite answers and hoped my tests would reveal the answer. For the moment I ignored my spotty memory and enjoyed my enormous helpings of orange chicken and fried rice.

After dinner Barry, Cisco, and Dr. Snow said their goodbyes. They left for their meet up with someone named Iris and her boyfriend Eddie. When I asked Dr. Wells if he was going to leave as well he told me yes but not for several hours as he had a lot of work to do. He assured me that I would safe in S.T.A.R. Labs overnight but the alarm system would have Barry here within seconds if the need ever arose.

Dr. Wells bid me good night and left me to my own devices. I didn't feel tired enough to sleep so I broke out the laptop Cisco gave me and picked a random show to watch. I figured an episode or two before bed to wind down couldn't hurt.

###

Dr. Wells glared at each mocking letter in the bold headline before him. No matter what he had done his future refused to change back to the original timeline. After the woman appeared his newspaper headline changed dramatically. He had no idea how to change it back but knew he needed to figure something out before it was too late.

###

The next morning I woke up around ten o' clock to the sound of knocking at my door. I scrambled out of bed and opened the door. I beamed when I found Dr. Snow standing in the hall.

"Good morning, Dr. Snow," I greeted cheerfully.

"Oh please, call me Caitlin," she said with a smile. "May I come in? I brought breakfast."

I stepped aside to let Caitlin pass. As she walked by I noticed in one hand she had a drink carrier with two cups and in the other she held a bag labeled C.C. Jitters. I left the door open so I could push the two desk chairs closer together before she sat down.

"I brought sugar and creamer for the coffee if you wanted any," Caitlin explained. She emptied the bag onto the desk into organized piles. "I also got us breakfast wraps. They have egg whites, spinach, feta cheese, and sundried tomatoes."

"Oooh, that sounds good," I said as my mouth watered.

As I eagerly ate my food Caitlin gave me a short lecture about how healthy the wraps at Jitters were in comparison to their ever popular cookies and muffins. I took a sip of my coffee as she chattered on between mouthfuls and nearly spit the drink out. It tasted so disgustingly bitter I used almost all of the sugar and creamer packets just to make it tolerable.

Once we finished eating and I freshened up in the bathroom Caitlin led me upstairs for more testing. When we got there Barry was handing something over to Cisco. My attention perked up when I heard them mention a bombing from last night.

 _I guess I missed a lot of fun last night…_ I thought sarcastically.

Barry told us that after he collected evidence at the crime scene and returned to the station he discovered CCPD had been ordered off the case.

"Who has the power to do that?" Caitlin asked in a confused manner.

"The army," Barry answered, crossing his arms. "Some general. His name was Eiling, I think."

"General Wade Eiling," Dr. Wells clarified as he entered the room.

 _That name..._ I thought. _Why do I know that name?_

"You know him?" Barry asked with surprise.

"Yeah, I know him," Dr. Wells said with obvious distaste. "About ten years ago General Wade Eiling contracted S.T.A.R. Labs to develop enhanced gene therapies for soldiers. I was interested in the potential medical benefits for civilians."

Dr. Wells explained that General Eiling wanted to create soldiers with mind reading abilities. I tried to pay attention but I couldn't focus at all. Something about this conversation seemed oddly familiar but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I jumped slightly when I realized Barry had repeatedly snapped his fingers inches from my face.

"You okay, Evelyn?" Barry asked with concern. "We've been trying to get your attention for a while."

Without any warning Caitlin shined a tiny flashlight in both of my eyes.

"You were completely unresponsive for the past few minutes," she said. She then ran an electric thermometer along my forehead. The device beeped and she seemed satisfied with my results. "Have you experienced an episode like this before now?"

I shook my head. "No," I replied. "I feel fine."

"Please let me know if you experience another episode like this," Caitlin said as she put the thermometer away.

"I will," I assured her.

Dr. Wells set the evidence folder Barry had before I spaced out on the table by Cisco's keyboard.

"Please let us know if you locate Miss Sans Souci," he said to Barry. Dr. Wells then turned his attention to me. "In the meantime, I believe you have some training to do."

"Oh, right..." I said sheepishly.

 _How did I forget he wanted me to practice making my shield today?_

Barry sped out with his suit as Dr. Wells escorted me back downstairs. Dr. Wells and I remained silent until we got inside the elevator. He spoke up first.

"Would you like to discuss what was troubling you earlier?" he asked, looking up at me. I briefly looked at him before averting his gaze.

"It's...I don't know how to explain it," I started off. "As soon as you started talking about Eiling I...I felt like I knew what you were going to say. It almost felt like déjà vu."

"Déjà vu is a perfectly normal phenomenon that anyone can experience," Dr. Wells informed me. The elevator doors opened and I followed him out. "It's nothing to worry about."

"Oh, okay."

I still felt that there was more to what happened than that but I let it go. The last thing I wanted to do was press the subject and upset Dr. Wells.

We soon came to a large room around the corner. Every wall as well as the entire floor was covered with thick mats. Only a door with a restroom label didn't have a mat covering it. Other than that the room was completely empty. I expected Dr. Well's wheelchair to get caught on the mats but the wheels rolled right over the edge and into the room.

"Please hold out your hand," Dr. Wells said as we stopped in the center of the room. He pulled an odd looking watch out of his pocket and carefully strapped it to my right wrist. "This device will monitor your vitals and send the results directly to my tablet in real time. Now, I want you to recall the sensations you felt yesterday and replicate them."

I nodded hesitantly and took a few steps away from Dr. Wells. I took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I closed my eyes to bring myself back to that feeling. I felt the same odd sensation begin to form but I lost the connection when my mind wandered off to thoughts about General Eiling.

"Concentrate harder," Dr. Wells instructed. "Imagine the energy taking form around you...protecting you from anything that could harm you."

I obeyed the scientist. I concentrated solely on my power and felt my connection form more strongly. Just as the connection began to solidify a startling image invaded my thoughts. A massive gorilla roared as it dragged a burly man dressed in military clothing down a dark tunnel. I gasped and my eyes flew open. I struggled to breath as my heart pounded in my chest.

"What happened?" Dr. Wells asked with concern. "Your eyes began to glow so I assume you almost had it."

"I...I think I remembered something," I admitted when I finally caught my breath.

Dr. Wells's eyes narrowed. "What did you remember?"

"I saw a gorilla and a man in military clothes," I described. When I mentioned the military clothes Dr. Wells suddenly had an odd look on his face. "They were in some kind of tunnel."

"Do you remember anything else?" Dr. Wells asked. He leaned forward slightly in his chair. "Like where they were?"

"No, I—" I cut myself of when the image suddenly became clearer in my mind. I closed my eyes to hold onto the image before it disappeared again. "Wait... I remember writing scratched into the walls around them. They look like...math problems...I think. It's dark so it's hard to see. And there's something else mixed in there. It look like it says God. No, that's not right... It says...Grodd."

I opened my eyes to find Dr. Wells staring at me. He had so many emotions mixed into his stare I couldn't even remotely begin to figure out what was going on in his head. Dr. Wells suddenly blinked as if he snapped out of a trance.

"Can you remember anything else?" he asked me.

His harsh tone made me flinch. I nearly took a step away from him.

"N-no, I don't," I told him.

"I need you to think, Evelyn," Dr. Wells said, raising his voice slightly. This time I took a step back. "Was there anyone else there?"

My head began to throb painfully. Fear coursed through every inch of my body. My shield manifested around me and without warning it emitted a pulse of energy. I helplessly watched as the pulse collided with Dr. Wells so strongly he practically flew from his wheelchair and tumbled backwards several feet. Horror rose within me when he struggled to push himself up with his elbows. My shield flickered away just ad Caitlin entered the room.

"What happened?!" Caitlin exclaimed as she rushed to help Dr. Wells.

"I…I don't…" I stammered. Tears formed in the corners of my vision. "I-it was an accident! I swear!"

"Are you all right, Dr. Wells?" Caitlin asked Dr. Wells. She helped him sit up and passed him his glasses.

"I'm fine," he assured her.

I kept my distance as Caitlin helped Dr. Wells back into his wheelchair. I looked down shamefully as I fought back tears. When I felt my nose start to run I reflexively sniffled and then wiped it with the back of my hand. My eyes widened when I realized what came out of my nose wasn't runny snot.

"My nose is bleeding," I said to Caitlin.

Caitlin grabbed some paper towels from the restroom and helped position my head to stop the nosebleed.

"When your nose stops bleeding I want you to rest for a while," she instructed me. She examined her hands for my blood but didn't find any. "What happened?"

"The first training method caused a…powerful reaction," Dr. Wells explained, carefully choosing his wording. "Is everything all right upstairs, Dr. Snow?"

"Actually, Barry is back," she replied.

"He found Miss Sans Souci rather quickly," Dr. Wells commented. "I presume she's waiting upstairs?"

"She's…not here," Caitlin admitted. She sounded less than enthusiastic and gently bit her bottom lip. "Apparently she's a metahuman. When Barry found her she touched the emblem on his suit and...turned it into a bomb."

"Is Barry alright?" Dr. Wells asked urgently.

"He's fine, but…his suit blew up," Dr. Snow confessed.

Dr. Wells rubbed his forehead with one hand. He looked like he was trying very hard to not groan with frustration.

"So, why did Bette attack Barry?" I asked Dr. Snow.

"She didn't according to Barry," she replied. "According to him she touched the emblem by accident."

"Do you think she'll still come to S.T.A.R. Labs?" I asked.

"There's only one way to find out," Dr. Wells said. "We have to find her again before General Eiling does. He's not the kind of man who would give up a potential asset without a fight. I'll meet you upstairs, Dr. Snow. I'd like to have a word with Evelyn."

 _Uh-oh,_ I thought instantly.

Without another word Dr. Snow left us alone. Once she was gone Dr. Wells said my nose had probably stopped bleeding by now. I threw away the bloody paper towel ball and quickly washed off my face and hands in the restroom. I blotted my face dry with paper towels and then returned to Dr. Wells.

"I'm sorry about what happened," I said with a frown. "I-"

"You are not the one that needs to apologize, Evelyn," Dr. Wells cut me off. "I am. I knew my actions would cause emotional distress which would then coax a response from your powers. I went too far…I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Dr. Wells," I assured him. "This is only my first training session and I didn't expect it to go perfectly."

Dr. Wells smiled. "That's one way to look at it."

"So, should we go back upstairs?" I asked him.

"I believe your doctor instructed you to get some rest. However, there is one thing I need you to do for me."

"Sure. What is it?"

"For now please keep the memory you experienced to yourself and if you remember anything else tell only me."

This time his serious tone didn't scare me. I smiled at him.

"Okay. I promise."

Dr. Wells seemed surprisingly happy with my response.

"If you need anything I'll be upstairs," Dr. Wells said. "Be sure to get plenty of rest."

"I will, thanks."

As Dr. Wells and I parted ways my uplifting mood steadily declined into one of suspicion. To me it seemed odd that I could only tell him about anything I remembered. The moment I mentioned the word Grodd his personality completely changed. In that moment he utterly terrified me. I didn't want to keep anything from Barry and the others after how nice they had been to me. At the same time I didn't want to see the dark side of Dr. Wells again.

After a few episodes of "Firefly" Caitlin came in to check on me and gave me some Big Belly Burger.

"Have you experienced any dizziness or anything out of the ordinary?" she asked. She pulled several things out of her medical bag to check my vitals.

"No, thankfully," I replied.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

Caitlin smiled. "Good. I'm sorry if I seem a little…pushy about your symptoms. When Barry first became the Flash he didn't tell us he had been experiencing dizzy spells until he fainted while trying to chase down another metahuman."

My eyes widened. "Really?" I asked in disbelief.

Caitlin nodded. "Yeah," she responded. "That's how we discovered he needed to consume so many calories a day. I just don't want something like that to happen to you if I can prevent it."

I smiled at her. "You're really dedicated to what you do. It makes me wonder if I was that dedicated to whatever my job was."

"You still don't remember anything?" Caitlin asked with a frown.

Dr. Wells's words echoed in the back of my head. I wanted to tell Caitlin about what I remembered but for the time being I felt like I needed to trust Dr. Wells.

"No, I don't," I lied sadly.

Caitlin put a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"It'll just take some time, that's all," she assured me. "You've been through a lot."

I forced out a laugh. "That's one way of putting it. Thanks, Caitlin."

A beeping sound in Caitlin's medical bag made me jump. She sifted through the bag and pulled out her cell phone. Just before she answered it I saw Cisco's name on the screen along with a goofy picture of him sticking his tongue out.

"What's up?" she asked. I only heard a muffled response. "Okay, we'll be right…there."

When Caitlin lowered her phone I took another peek at the screen. It gave her an error that stated the call had been dropped.

"What was that about?" I asked as she put her phone and supplies away.

"Barry is here with Bette Sans Souci," Caitlin replied. "Dr. Wells wants us both up there."

"Oh…okay."

I ate the rest of my food on the way up as Caitlin explained what I missed while I relaxed. Cisco had hacked into General Eiling's security feed which was how they found Bette. She had gone after a doctor that performed several surgeries on her under General Eiling's orders. She didn't know anything that happened after that other than Barry got Bette back here safely.

When we reached the cortex I nearly stopped midstride. A beautiful woman with long red hair stood in front of a monitor showing a digital recreation of the particle accelerator explosion. Her black jacket and pants had some fresh dirt and scratches on them but her purple shirt was as flawless as her pale skin. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Cisco not so subtly checking her out as well.

Dr. Wells was the first to notice us so he took care of the introductions. He introduced me as another metahuman they were helping train. When Bette asked what I could do I told her I could create a shield around myself but had little to no control over it. She appeared slightly relieved to meet another metahuman that couldn't completely control their power. After that Caitlin took Bette to an exam room where we could observe her through a window.

"Do you think we'll be able to help her?" Barry asked as he crossed his arms.

"In order to help her we have to understand how her power works," Dr. Wells reminded him. "In order to do that we need to see her in action."

Cisco pumped his fist with excitement. "Yes! We get to watch her blow stuff up!"

"Not here, Cisco," Dr. Wells said. "She's too unstable."

"I know…"

 _I know you know._

The words echoed in my mind as Dr. Wells said them aloud. That odd déjà vu sensation overcame me again. I reflexively looked up at Bette's left arm as she removed her jacket. I didn't see anything wrong with her arm but I for some reason my eyes remained fixated on it. I couldn't keep the feeling to myself any longer.

"Something's wrong with her arm," I announced.

The three men focused their attention on Bette's arm. They apparently noticed a very small wound on her upper arm at the same time as Caitlin.

"She must have gotten shot when Eiling swarmed the building," Barry concluded.

As Caitlin reached for a set of tweezers I felt a strong urge to go to the elevator. I ignored Cisco when he asked where I was going. I swore my heart stopped when I turned the corner. The digital floor reader to the right of the door read that the elevator was dangerously close to our level.

"Someone's here!" I shouted down the hallway.

Just as I started to move my feet the elevator doors slid open. I stood there frozen in place as several heavily armed men exited the elevator with their guns drawn and pointed directly at me. From within the throng a tall man with white and grey hair emerged with a stony look on his face. I instantly recognized him as General Eiling—the man from my memory.

"Who the hell are you?" Eiling asked me gruffly.

I swallowed the knot in my throat and spoke in a surprisingly confident voice.

"Evelyn Cavanagh," I replied. "I'm Dr. Wells's new secretary and I'd appreciate not having a dozen AR-15's pointed at me."

General Eiling leered at me with suspicion. Since I was still dressed in my S.T.A.R. Labs workout clothes not nice clothes like Caitlin's I understood why he wasn't buying it.

"Now how would a secretary know so much about guns?" he asked in a condescending tone.

I smirked. "I'm very pro second amendment so I've shot my fair share of guns."

Eiling raised an eyebrow at that but didn't question me again. He gestured for his men to lower their guns and they obeyed. Eiling looked past me as I heard a familiar buzzing sound approach.

"You picked a very interesting secretary, Harrison," Eiling stated.

"Everyone has their hobbies," Dr. Wells commented nonchalantly. "Miss Cavanagh, would you please excuse us?"

"Of course, Dr. Wells," I said formally.

I took one last look at Eiling before I returned to the cortex. I looked over my shoulder to make sure none of the soldiers followed me before I approached Cisco and Caitlin.

"Eiling is here and Dr. Wells is talking to him," I said in a hushed voice.

"We saw what happened on the monitor," Cisco whispered back.

"Your hands are shaking," Caitlin pointed out.

I looked down at my hands and realized she was right. I flexed my fingers a few times and cracked my knuckles. Caitlin and Cisco flinched when my joints popped loudly.

"I guess that happens when you have guns pointed at you," I said, cracking my wrists as well.

"Please stop doing that," Caitlin begged. "That can give you arthritis."

I folded my hands and looked down at the ground. I felt like a little kid that just got scolded by their teacher.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

Before Eiling's men flooded the room looking for Bette I glanced into the exam room. She was nowhere to be seen and the tools tainted with her blood were gone.

Barry must have sped her out of here, I concluded. At least she's safe.

When Eiling's men declared the room clear they left us alone. Caitlin, Cisco, and I remained far from the doorway and spoke in hushed voices just to be on the safe side.

"How did you know Eiling was coming up the elevator?" Cisco asked curiously. "The security alarm was disabled."

"I don't know," I admitted. "I just kind of knew there was a threat coming."

"You mean like a spidey sense?" Cisco asked with excitement.

I just stared at him utterly confused.

"Think of it like a form of survival instinct," Caitlin explained.

I shrugged. "Whatever. That makes about as much sense as anything else around this place."

After waiting around for a while Dr. Wells entered the room alone.

"General Eiling is gone," Dr. Wells informed us.

"How did he even find her here?" I asked him.

"There was a tracking device in her arm," Caitlin explained.

"Caitlin found it before you wandered off," Cisco added.

I noticed the slight accusatory tone in his voice. Apparently Dr. Wells did too because he gave Cisco a very subtle glance. Cisco and Caitlin didn't notice.

"Either way Barry took Bette somewhere safe to lay low until Eiling isn't on high alert," Dr. Wells told us. "In the meantime we need to go about our day as if Bette was never here."

"Does that mean I can get some lunch now?" Cisco asked hopefully. "I don't know about you guys but I'm starving right now."

Dr. Wells let out a short laugh. "Yes, Cisco."

"Sweet!" Cisco celebrated. He immediately turned to Caitlin. "Want to ride shotgun?"

Caitlin hesitated until she saw Cisco give her a pouty look to beg her to come with him.

"Fine," she gave in.

"We'll be back later," Cisco told us.

Cisco and Caitlin gathered up their things and left. Once they were out of earshot Dr. Wells gave me an extremely stern look.

"Do you realize what could have happened if you hadn't managed to talk your way out of that?" he asked. His scary tone made my whole body tense up.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what happened," I confessed. "I just had one of those déjà vu feelings again and—"

"Eiling could have seriously injured if not killed you," Dr. Wells reprimanded.

I bit my lower lip. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened. I just...I felt like it needed to be done or something worse was going to happen. I know that's no excuse but I hope you know it wasn't my intention to put myself or any of us in that position."

Dr. Wells sighed and removed his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose.

"I know it wasn't," he said, looking down at his glasses. He put his glasses back on as he continued. "I'm sorry for being so hard on you. General Eiling can be a very dangerous man and..." He appeared hesitant to continue speaking. "...after you mentioned Grodd earlier I began to worry that you may have been one of General Eiling's experiments."

My eyes widened. "Really...?"

Dr. Wells nodded. "It appears my theory was incorrect since he didn't recognize you. If he had we wouldn't be having this conversation." Dr. Wells put his glasses back on. "If anything like this happens again you must let the scenario play out or the consequences could be irreversible. Do you understand?"

I nodded firmly. "Yeah, I do."

Dr. Wells smiled. "Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, Miss Cavanagh, I have an important phone call to make."

I tried not to giggle at the slight teasing tone when he said my makeshift surname.

Bette laid low wherever Barry took her until the following day when Cisco, Caitlin, and I met up with them for some observational research. Dr. Wells opted to stay behind at S.T.A.R. Labs claiming he was awaiting an important package some time in the afternoon. I felt disappointed that Dr. Wells wasn't coming with us but quickly got over it when I saw Bette blow up a frisbee. Cisco and I were beyond excited to see her power in action. Amidst our excitement Caitlin grabbed a boomerang off the table and gave Cisco a deadpan look.

"You didn't really think this one through, did you?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

I snorted. "Good job, Cisco," I said jokingly.

The dirty look Cisco gave me immediately shut me up.

"I'll just...be in the truck...I guess," I mumbled. "Let me know when Bette is done blowing stuff up."

Even when I went in the truck I could still hear Cisco and Caitlin outside. Their quiet voices definitely needed improvement.

"What is with you, Cisco?" Caitlin berated him. "She was just joking around."

"Don't you think what happened yesterday with her…spidey sense…was a little weird?" Cisco asked.

 _Crap, here we go…_ I thought.

"This is the first day we've had a chance to observe her powers," Caitlin argued. "She has no idea who she is or where she's from—"

"Come on, even you thought her reaction to Eiling seemed weird for someone that supposedly had no memory of who they are."

"Cisco—"

"I just get these weird vibes from her. That's all I'm saying."

My eyes narrowed when Cisco said the word "vibes". For some reason that word stuck out. I was so wrapped up in thought I didn't notice Caitlin got in the truck until she spoke up.

"Are you okay?" she asked with concern.

I forced a big smile. "Yeah, why?" I asked.

"You don't have to stay in here if you don't want to."

"I don't feel like getting anymore dirty looks from Cisco so I think I'll stay in here until Bette is done."

Caitlin frowned. "Okay. I'll let you know."

When Caitlin started to walk away I felt the need to say something to her. Instead I remained silent and watched her leave. I sighed and resorted to looking around at the various gadgets mounted on the walls.

A few minutes later Caitlin came back to let me know it was my turn. I avoided looking at Cisco as I walked past the table further into the abandoned runway. Caitlin signaled the equipment was ready and I took in a nervous breath.

When nothing happened right away I grew frustrated. Then I recalled the instructions Dr. Wells spoke to me at S.T.A.R. Labs. I closed my eyes as I concentrated on his voice.

 _Imagine the energy taking form around you..._

The energy solidified just above my head and then slowly extended past my shoulders.

 _Concentrate…_

The energy's spread picked up the pace. It easily went down to my waist.

 _Kill Eiling…_

My eyes flew open as those last words echoed in my mind. The shield flickered away as did my concentration. All I could think about were those two words that sent chills up my spine each time they replayed in my head.

"We got the readings!" Caitlin shouted.

I returned to the table to find Barry and Caitlin beaming at me. Cisco remained occupied with his computer and Bette's face was indifferent.

"Nice job out there," Barry congratulated.

"Thanks," I said gratefully. "So, what's the verdict?"

"Dr. Wells's theory turned out to be correct," Caitlin said to me. She pointed at the screen in front of Cisco. "Take a look at this."

I stood behind Cisco to get a better look. The screen had a translucent digital model of me with glowing blue veins and eyes. The brain also had a faint glow to it.

"Your body naturally absorbs the UV radiation around you, filters it as it travels through your body, and condenses it into a pure energy that you then manipulate into your shield," Caitlin explained as she pointed at the screen. "The only thing we haven't figured out is why your eyes glow whenever you use your ability. As far as we can tell it's just a side effect."

"I wonder if I can do other things besides making a shield…" I pondered aloud.

"Let's just stick to the shield for now," Cisco said, shutting the equipment down.

"Once you master the shield then we can start the fun experiments," Barry said with an encouraging smile.

"You're doing a lot better than when I first found out about what I could do," Bette told me. "It took a long time for me to be able to wear gloves without blowing them up."

I wasn't sure if I just read too closely between the lines but I swore she was a little jealous of me. I didn't blame her since she couldn't have physical contact with pretty much anything. I couldn't imagine not even being able to touch another person or even an everyday object without consequences.

Barry then received a distressing phone call and had a short conversation with Cisco and Caitlin. The speedster packed all the equipment then left while the rest of us went back to S.T.A.R. Labs. On the way back Caitlin explained to Bette and I that Barry's adoptive sister Iris had just attached her name to her previously anonymous blogs about "the Streak" saving people around the city. Barry left to talk her into stopping her posts but had to do so without revealing his identity. I spent the rest of the ride hoping that Barry could talk some sense into her for her own protection.

###

I stared up at the ceiling with a solemn expression. Ever since the others told Bette they were unable to reverse her ability the entire facility had a gloomy cloud hovering overhead. Bette's heart shattered at the devastating news and ran to her own temporary room with tears streaming down her face. Barry wanted her to join them as a fellow hero but everyone else was completely against the idea. They all genuinely wanted to help Bette but her ability was too dangerous. On top of that General Eiling would never stop chasing her until she returned to being his favorite lab rat.

In Barry's attempts to defend Bette's right to be at S.T.A.R. Labs he brought up what happened the first two times my power manifested. As soon as Barry saw the look on my face he tried to apologize and took back what he said. I bitterly told him to go screw himself and stormed off to my room. The entire way down I felt the energy within me swirling as if begging to be released. I barely kept it under control.

After a long while I became too restless cooped up in my room so I decided to explore the building unsupervised for once. I ended up passing Bette's room but she wasn't there. After that I wandered upstairs to the main lab where Barry kept his suit. Even though I was still upset at him about what he said I wanted to actually see his speed suit. As I approached the rounded corner I heard voices and stopped to listen out of sight.

"I think Cisco's developing quite the crush on you," Dr. Wells said in a light tone.

 _I guess he's talking to Bette_.

"I'm not exactly prize winning date material anymore," Bette stated with a hint of sadness.

"Change is hard."

Déjà vu crept up on me once again. The entire conversation felt scarily predictable. This time it held an eerie undertone.

"The same accident that changed you put me in this chair," Dr. Wells continued.

"Sorry…I didn't know."

As the conversation continued I felt something drip from my nose. I wiped it with the back of my hand and bit back a curse when I saw blood.

 _Damn it, not again!_ I thought with frustration.

I struggled to pay attention and make the nosebleed stop at the same time. When I finally covered it with a wrinkled tissue I had in my pocket I returned my full attention to the conversation.

"Every good person that was changed that night, people like you, Barry, and Evelyn…they are your flock now," Dr. Wells went on. "We both know that General Eiling will continue to attack your flock until he gets what he wants and he always gets his target."

"What should I do?" Bette asked desperately.

Bette sounded afraid of the answer to her question. I held my breath as I awaited Dr. Well's response.

"You know your duty, sergeant," Dr. Wells said coldly. "Kill Eiling."

 _On that note I'm getting the hell out of here._

I snuck back to the elevator and went straight to my room. I locked the door behind me and crawled right into bed. I curled into a ball as those words echoed in my head with increasing intensity.

 _Kill Eiling…_

 _You know your duty…_

 _Kill Eiling…_

 _My goals are beyond your understanding._

My thoughts briefly quieted after that last part.

 _Where did that come from?_ I asked myself.

I tried to recall that last phrase but couldn't. Even though the thought just crossed my mind it already slipped away. I checked my nose to make sure the bleeding stopped fully before I turned in for the night.

###

 _Thunder bellowed so loudly the entire house shook. Out of the corner of my eye I saw one of my cats jump with fright. I looked down at Nismo to make sure he was okay. When I noticed the fur on his tail standing on end I frowned._

 _"It's okay, buddy," I told him in a soothing voice. "It's just thunder."_

 _Normally when I spoke to Nismo in that tone before I pet him he was fine no matter how startled he had been. Instead he jumped at least a foot into the air when my fingers barely touched him. He bolted up the stairs presumably to the bedroom where my other cat, Nyla, already hid herself from the storm._

 _I knew my cats well enough to know in this situation they'd prefer to receive comfort from each other not me. Still, their strange behavior worried me. Nyla had always been on the skittish side but thunderstorms never bothered her. If she felt like it she actually joined Nismo at a window to watch the chaos outside. Nismo got way more excited about thunderstorms than Nyla did though. His tail would even wag like a dog's as he sat there staring into the downpour. Tonight both of them were utterly terrified and I couldn't figure out why. In the end I knew they just had to ride out the storm until it was over._

 _I returned my attention to the episode of "The Flash" and took a large gulp of my coke. As I set the glass back down the power flickered for a few seconds. I looked around the room waiting for the power to go out completely but nothing happened. I just shrugged my shoulders and slouched back into the sofa. The room went completely dark as soon as my back touched the grey suede._

 _I sighed heavily. "Of course…"_

 _I blindly reached out for my cell phone. I swore I left it to charge next to one of Evie's plush toys but it wasn't where I left it. I assumed I somehow knocked it onto the floor and cursed under my breath as I stood up. When I did the lights came back on. The moment my eyes adjusted I wished the lights had stayed out._

 _Terror pulsed through my entire body as I watched my soda float out of the glass into the air. I felt so terrified I could only stare at the floating liquid. Goosebumps rose across my arms and my heart pounded so loudly I could feel my heartbeat in my ears. A crackling sound coming from the TV finally drew my attention away from the phenomenon._

 _I didn't think my terror could grow any worse until I saw what was happening. Bolts of blue electricity emerged from the screen and danced around the flat screen TV. My mind screamed for me to run but my body refused to move. I stood there like a scared rabbit._

 _The last thing I saw before I passed out was swirling blue light._

###

My eyes flew open as my memories flooded back to me almost all at once. The more I thought the more I remembered.

My husband went up to bed early for work so that left me with about an hour to kill before I needed to sleep as well. I recently started rewatching season one in order to prep myself for season two's impending release date. I resumed the show from where I left off the night before. I barely put a dent into the episode where Plastique made her debut when the chaos with the storm began. I remember wondering how Evelyn hadn't woken up from the continuous booming claps of thunder.

 _Evelyn..._

Tears welled up in my eyes as the day I held my daughter for the first time replayed in my mind as vividly as the day it happened nearly one year ago. I sobbed into my pillow as the emotions from that day crashed through me combined with the sudden realization of my situation. I was in another universe far away from my family and I most likely had no chance of getting back.

When my emotions finally started to level out another startling memory resurfaced. Glowing red eyes stared down at me as I reached outwards. Despite the fog surrounding the memory I knew exactly who that was.

 _Eobard…_

I tried to think back further but I couldn't remember anything between the portal at home and finding Eobard standing above me.

A gentle knock on my door startled me out of deep thought.

"Evelyn? Are you awake?" Caitlin asked from the other side of the door.

Hearing someone say that name aloud after my memories returned triggered another bought of depression. I suppressed my feelings the best I could when I responded.

"Yeah, I just woke up," I called to her. "What's up?"

"Can you come up to the cortex?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'll be right there. I just need to get dressed."

Caitlin's high heels clacked as she walked away. When I couldn't hear her footsteps anymore I struggled to force myself out of bed. I grabbed a random set of S.T.A.R. Labs clothes from the desk and dragged my feet to the bathroom.

I studied my reflection as I got ready. My skin looked a little pale and I had dark bags under my eyes. My hair was a complete bushy mess despite brushing it thoroughly. I sighed and undid my ponytail so I could braid it. At least that way it looked slightly better. I slipped on some fresh socks and a pair of sneakers Caitlin gave me before I headed back into the hallway.

I took in every detail around me as I made my way to the elevator. As expected my surroundings were an exact replica of the show. Walking up to the elevator had a surreal quality to it. I stepped inside, pressed the proper button, and waited as the elevator ascended. I exited the elevator and strolled around the corner to the lab. It took everything within me to not stop midstride when I saw Bette in the lab along with Cisco and Caitlin.

 _Oh no..._

"Glad you could join us, Evelyn."

I turned to my left. Dr. Wells came out of the side room with a solemn look on his face. It took every ounce of control I had to not tremble in fear as he got closer to me.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, a hint of nervousness in my voice.

"I'm leaving S.T.A.R. Labs," Bette announced. "I can't keep putting you all at risk for me. I just wanted the opportunity to say goodbye to everyone before I left."

"Barry is on his way now," Dr. Wells added.

I faced Bette with a sad smile. "In that case I'll wait until he gets here to say my good-bye."

"Actually, do you think I could talk to you privately for a minute?" Bette asked me.

"Uh...sure," I replied with surprise.

As I followed Bette out of the room I reflexively glanced at Dr. Wells. He merely looked at me with indifference. My heart pounded in my chest as Bette and I walked down the hallway towards the elevator. So many emotions flooded through my mind I was shocked my powers didn't randomly go out of control.

"So, what's up?" I asked when we finally reached the elevator room. I tried to act as nonchalant as possible.

"I know you were eavesdropping on Dr. Wells and I last night," Bette said bluntly.

 _Crap._

I sighed. "I guess I wasn't as stealthy as I thought. Did Dr. Wells know?"

"I don't think so," Bette admitted. "What did you hear?"

 _Maybe I can fix the timeline,_ I realized. _Don't fuck this up. You can do this._

"I heard pretty much everything," I told her. "I know what he said for you to do. Honestly, I agree with him." Bette gave me a strange look so I continued talking. "Look, I'm going to be honest with you. I'm not going to pretend I know what it's like to kill a person. I could talk all kinds of shit about how I would do it if I came down to it but in the end I don't know if I really could. Something like that needs to be done by someone that knows what they're doing and knows they're doing it for the greater good. If I had the strength to do what Dr. Wells said I would do it in a heartbeat especially if it meant protecting everyone here."

Bette stood there silently for a moment and then smiled at me.

"Thank you, Evelyn," she said gratefully.

Hearing that name again twisted the knife in my heart. I smiled through it the best I could.

"I do what I can," I said.

A moving light in the corner of my eye caught my attention. Bette and I turned to the elevator as Barry stepped out.

"Hey," Barry greeted Bette. He avoided eye contact with me completely. "Dr. Wells told me you were leaving."

Bette nodded sadly. "I am. If Eiling is going to keep hunting me I can't stay in one place for too long and he's already found me here once."

Barry frowned. "I'm sorry we couldn't help."

Bette pursed her lips as she tried not to frown. "Now that you're here I can say goodbye properly."

She turned and walked away before Barry could say anything. We briefly made eye contact and then followed her back to the lab. I could tell he still felt bad about what he said yesterday. With everything else on my plate I didn't even care about that anymore. Besides, I knew I totally overreacted when I told him to go screw himself.

"Thank you all for everything that you've done for me," Bette said to us. "I know you did your best but I've come to terms with not being...fixable." Bette approached Cisco with a soft smile. "Want to walk me out?"

Cisco looked surprised but equally pleased at the gesture.

"Sure," he said with a growing smile.

Bette walked ahead of Cisco into the hall. Barry sadly watched them go.

"I wish we could have done something to help her…" he said, facing the rest of us.

"Unfortunately some problems cannot be remedied, Mr. Allen," Dr. Wells said in a serious voice.

 _Why was Bette still here?_ I thought. _She was supposed to leave before everyone got here. Hopefully the timeline isn't too—_

Suddenly rapid beeps rang throughout the lab. Caitlin rushed to the monitors and her eyes widened.

"Eiling is here," she announced. "He has troops at every exit around the building."

I looked at the screen as well. Eiling kicked in the front door armed to the teeth with his men in tow. He immediately noticed the elevator was moving and readied his men.

 _No! Cisco is with her!_

"We need to stop the elevator!" Barry cried out.

Caitlin typed away at the keyboard.

"I can't!" she declared in a panic.

Barry quickly changed into his suit and sped down the stairs. I watched in horror as the elevator door opened. Every soldier's gun turned on Cisco and Bette. I then heard Eiling's patronizing voice play through the speakers.

"I knew he was hiding you somewhere," he said to Bette. "It was only a matter of time before you slipped up and came back to this crumbling dump."

Bette stood in front of Cisco protectively.

"You're not taking me in, Eiling," she stated as she glared at him.

"Don't be so sure, Sergeant," Eiling said with a smug smile.

Before Eiling's men could shoot Bette threw several balls from her pockets and shielded Cisco. The glowing purple balls exploded mere inches before some of the soldiers. The blast knocked them all to the ground. Some couldn't move at all while others could still move a limb or two. Bette stepped out from the elevator to approach Eiling's unmoving body with an outstretched hand.

Barry finally appeared to block her path to Eiling.

"What are you doing?" Bette asked with a stern glare.

"Being a soldier doesn't mean you're a murderer," Barry said in his modified voice. "Don't become one now."

Eiling struggled to lift his fallen handgun. He aimed the gun at Bette and fired off two rounds. One hit Bette in the chest and the other went through her shoulder grazing Cisco's left arm. Bette collapsed to the ground while Cisco clutched his wound in pain. Eiling passed out as Barry knelt beside Bette.

"I'm sorry!" Barry cried out. "I didn't see him!"

Bette didn't respond. A single tear fell from Barry's eye as he held Bette's body. My mouth hung open and tears flowed down my cheeks as I stared at the screen. My mind struggled to process what I just witnessed. A part of me still thought of her as a fictional character but the emotions raging inside me conflicted with those thoughts.

Glowing purple lines suddenly appeared throughout Bette's skin, alarming Barry.

"Guys, we have a problem," Barry said into his communicator.

"You need to get Bette out of the city," Dr. Wells said quickly. "The explosion her body will cause would devastate the city."

"There's no time!" Barry stared off at the river in the distance. "How fast would I need to go to run on water?"

Dr. Wells quickly calculated the formula in his head. "Approximately 650 miles an hour."

"You need to outrun the blast or you'll die too," Caitlin warned. Her voice cracked as she spoke.

The three of us watched the screens with anticipation. Barry ran to the river, across the water, and dropped Bette a safe distance away. When her body finally detonated it sent out a shockwave that caused a large ring of water to chase after Barry. He barely kept out of range until the shockwave ran out of energy and the water flattened out. Barry rushed back to S.T.A.R. Labs, past Eiling and his men, and grabbed Cisco before he came back into the lab with us.

"Please excuse me, I need to go downstairs to have a brief discussion with General Eiling," Dr. Wells announced.

Dr. Wells maintained a bitter expression as he left the lab. Caitlin turned to a depressed Cisco and brought him to a side room to tend to the wound on his arm. That left Barry and I alone in an awkward silence.

 _Holy shit I'm standing here with the Flash. I should say something after I was such a bitch to him._

Barry and I began to speak at the same time and then cut ourselves off.

"You go first," I said to him.

"I just...I wanted to apologize for what I said yesterday," Barry said. "I know it's not easy getting the hang of a new ability. When I first started I broke a lot of bones because I couldn't stop fast enough. So...I'm sorry."

"It's all right," I assured him with a smile. "I was being overdramatic just because of everything that's happened. It's been hard to absorb sometimes."

Barry smiled at me with relief. Not too much later Dr. Wells returned upstairs and Cisco was all patched up. Dr. Wells told us that Eiling was leaving to go make a cover up story for the explosion since news teams were surely already on their way to the explosion site.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Barry pleaded. "He murdered Bette right in front of us."

"Powerful men have a way of avoiding consequences," Dr. Wells stated bluntly.

"You going to be okay?" Caitlin asked Barry with concern.

"Yeah," Barry replied, frowning.

Caitlin forced a smile. "You can walk on water. That puts you in pretty interesting company."

Barry smiled sadly and then quietly left for his job at the police department. After a moment of silence I excused myself to train so I could clear my head. Dr. Wells praised the idea and joined me. Instead of feeling comfort when I heard his wheelchair behind me I felt terrified. Part of me expected his hand to go through my chest the second we were out of sight.

 _Why hasn't he killed me yet?_ I wondered. _What is his plan with me? Maybe he still needs me for something…but what happens when I'm not useful anymore?_

That horrifying thought plagued my mind the entire way down. I tried not to fidget as I racked my brain for excuses to keep myself alive. Every idea I came up with was so terrible I began to lose hope.

When Dr. Wells and I entered the training room he shut the door behind him. He usually left it open. My nervousness skyrocketed when he turned his wheelchair to face me.

"I'm sorry you had to witness what happened with Miss Sans Souci," Dr. Wells said. His voice almost sounded genuine. "I hope you understand that these situations are not a normal occurrence."

"I understand, Dr. Wells," I said, attempting to mask my feelings.

Dr. Wells smiled up at me. "I have something for you," he said as he reached for the compartment under his wheelchair.

I curiously watched as he grabbed something yellow and held it out to me. My breathing stopped and my eyes widened when I realized what it was.

 _How?_ I thought in shock. _I don't even remember grabbing it! It was gone before I got sucked into the portal…wasn't it?_

In his hand he had one of my daughter's stuffed plush toys. The toy measured about five inches tall and had an enormous head in comparison to the small body. The lower half of the toy's face was peach toned while the rest of the body was mostly yellow. Red lightning bolts wrapped around its tiny waist and a single bolt decorated the left and right sides of its head. A black circle with a red lightning bolt was embroidered into its chest. The figure had a scowl sewn onto its face that was almost comical.

The Reverse-Flash somehow got his hands on my daughter's Reverse-Flash plushie.

The reality of the situation steadily sank in. The only reason he would show me he had that was if he figured out I got my memories back. At this point I saw no point in trying to hide it.

"When did your memories come back?" Dr. Wells asked. He set the plushie down on his lap and folded his hands as he waited for my response.

"…Last night," I finally managed to say.

"What do you remember?"

"I was barely conscious but I remember bits and pieces of what happened after I came through the breach. I remember you standing over me with your eyes glowing red."

Dr. Wells sighed softly and then slowly stood from his wheelchair. He removed his glasses and carelessly tossed them along with the plushie onto the wheelchair seat. With his hands in his pockets he casually walked to the door. The door lock let out a soft click as it trapped me in the room with him.

Eobard Thawne turned to stare me down with his stolen blue eyes.

"How do you know who I am?" he asked, folding his arms.

 _Wait…what?_

"What do you mean?" I asked, bewildered. "You're the one that brought me here. Don't you know?"

"I didn't bring you here," Eobard revealed. He slowly approached me as he continued. "A breach between our universes randomly manifested in this room. I thought I could finally return to my time when you shot through the breach in a wave of energy from the particle accelerator and the breach sealed behind you." He stopped when he was barely a foot away from me. "Now that I've answered your question perhaps you can answer mine. How do you know who I am?"

"I'm actually a big fan of yours," I said honestly. Eobard raised an eyebrow at my statement. "In my universe there's a TV show about the Flash. When I found out about you I did all the research I could to find out more about you."

Eobard hummed thoughtfully. "And what exactly did you find out?"

I knew almost every detail of his origin story. With how big of a Reverse-Flash fan I was I made sure I dug up every secret available on the internet. I wasn't about to tell him that.

"The details about your origin are pretty vague," I lied. "All I know is that the Flash took something from you or did something to piss you off and you dedicated your life to defeating or killing him."

Eobard looked away for a moment as he thought. "This show..." he said as he looked back at me, "does it coincide with the timeline in this universe?"

"Yes and no," I said truthfully. "There have been a few differences."

"Such as?"

"When Eiling showed up to grab Bette the security system wasn't supposed to be disabled. I also don't exist in this universe so my interaction with Eiling or anyone here wasn't supposed to happen."

"This explains why you convinced Bette to listen to my...suggestion...to kill Eiling," Eobard stated. "You knew the timeline had begun to skew from the original and knew what to say to prevent that from happening."

"Wait, how did you know about that?" I asked him. "There's no way you could've heard us talking."

"I watched the security feed on my way to have my chat with Eiling," he replied. "Your discussion with Bette was very convincing. To be honest it made me feel better about my decision to keep you alive."

"How thoughtful," I said sarcastically before I could stop myself.

Eobard ignored my sarcastic remark. "Evelyn…" When I flinched one of his eyebrows raised slightly. "That's not your name, is it? You become obviously uncomfortable when I call you that."

I didn't want to tell him any intimate details of myself. The last thing I needed was for him to find a way to use my family against me. At the same time I needed to reveal critical information if I wanted to stay alive and the sneaky bastard knew that.

"…It's my daughter's name," I admitted.

"Fascinating," Eobard muttered. "Your daughter means so much to you that you subconsciously remembered her name despite your memory loss."

"My maternal instincts are strong," I guessed. "I would do anything to help my daughter."

"Anything?" Eobard asked with intrigue.

I crossed my arms. "You say that like you have a proposal for me."

"The way I see it we have two options," Eobard began. "Option one is I kill you to make sure you don't ruin fifteen years of hard work."

"Yeah…I don't really like that plan," I said before I could stop myself.

Eobard ignored me again. "However, I don't like the risks I would have to take so that leaves us with option two which is I don't kill you and your training with me goes on as usual. In return you keep your knowledge of my true identity to yourself. If you can do that when I return to my time you will come with me and I will find a way to return you home."

My arms fell limply to my sides. I definitely hadn't expected that.

"Y-you'd do that?" I stammered.

"You seem surprised," Eobard stated.

"Well, yeah…" I mumbled.

Eobard extended his right hand. "Do we have an agreement?"

For a moment I hesitated. I had a bad feeling about working with Eobard but I didn't have a choice. I needed to get home and if he was the only person that could help me then so be it.

I shook Eobard's hand firmly. "It's a deal, Professor Thawne."

From that point on Eobard didn't bother using the wheelchair when he was alone with me. He simply stood and watched as I used various training methods he suggested. I tensed up every time he left my line of vision but I knew it couldn't be helped.

Later during a quick break Eobard gave me the package he waited for yesterday when I was at the airstrip with the others. It had a brand new ID with my picture on it and a black touchscreen phone. Eobard explained that the address on the ID was property he owned but that I needed to remain at S.T.A.R. Labs to maintain the illusion I was still hiding from "the man in yellow". The cell phone had his, Barry's, Caitlin's, and Cisco's cell phone numbers on speed dial for emergencies. I thanked him and set the package aside for round two of training.

Two sessions later my body felt extremely drained. Eobard told me I was done for the day. I grabbed my paperwork and quietly retreated to my room.

###

Dr. Wells patiently watched the lights above elevator door with his hands folded in his lap. When the elevator finally reached his floor and the doors slid open he forced a smile.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, General?" Dr. Wells asked, keeping the forced smile.

"I was wrong about you, Harrison," Eiling said as he stepped out from the elevator. "It's very impressive when a man without the use of his legs can manage to stay one step ahead of the military."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Wade," Dr. Wells said innocently.

"First we have Sergeant Sans Souci who can…" Eiling trailed off and then smirked. "Excuse me… _could_ turn any object she touched into an explosive. Then I saw a man that could run out of sight in the blink of an eye. Amidst all that you have a new secretary that's knowledgeable in firearms when you yourself detest weapons."

Dr. Wells kept a straight face but Eiling wouldn't let up.

"Was she affected by the particle accelerator too?" Eiling prodded. "Is that why you're keeping her here as a pet? Or is she your personal companion?"

"I think you should leave," Dr. Wells warned in a stern tone.

"I could have my soldiers here in _minutes_ ," Eiling pressed. "They would tear the rest of this dump down to find her."

"I could have an army of press here long before your men got anywhere close to my facility," Dr. Wells retorted in a stronger voice. "I'm sure they'd love to hear me testify to your less than humane activities. If you threaten me _or her_ ever again I _will_ end you and I am not talking about your career."

Eiling frowned and shook his head. He turned back to the elevator as he spoke.

"This isn't over, Harrison," Eiling swore. "Sooner or later I'll find out what she can do."

The two men glared daggers at each other until they disappeared from each other's view. Dr. Wells directed his wheelchair to a wall down the hallway, looked side to side, and pressed his hand on the wall. The wall split apart to reveal the entrance to his time vault. Once the door shut behind him he stood from the wheelchair and walked to the podium on the opposite side of the room.

"Gideon, create a new log entry," Eobard commanded as he set his hand on the podium. He clasped his hands behind his back as the program followed its orders. "General Wade Eiling came back to S.T.A.R. Labs for a private conversation. He expressed his suspicions of the new subject but he hasn't discovered that I falsified any of her identification.

"As for her training the new subject is progressing much slower than I anticipated. If she does not improve at a greater pace I fear for the future timeline. End log."

Eobard sighed heavily as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Is everything alright, Dr. Wells?" Gideon's voice asked robotically.

"Has the timeline changed?" he asked.

Light shot from the podium onto the wall that previously bore the log. A news article filled nearly the entire wall. Eobard took one look at the headline and frowned.

"I'm afraid not, Dr. Wells," Gideon said.

Eobard said nothing as he continued to stare at the headline.

 **Reverse-Flash Dies In**

 **Epic Struggle**

* * *

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. The next one will feature Girder and from there on I'll start introducing original metahumans. Please let me know what you guys thought.**


	3. Chapter 2

Sorry for the huge delay in posting this chapter. I had a lot of personal stuff go on which made my writing suffer. I finally finished editing this chapter to the point where I'm mostly happy with it.

I know I said this was going to be the Girder chapter but I struggled to write anything for it. I decided to start introducing my OC metas early since they gave me more motivation. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

The next day passed by at a snail's pace. With Bette's death still fresh in our minds the atmosphere at the lab had an obvious overcast. The more I thought about her the stronger my guilt became. I essentially coaxed Bette to her death for selfish reasons.

The moral side of me wished I had encouraged her to run from Eiling instead of face him. The logical side of me was glad I managed to keep the timeline intact despite my disruptive presence. I had no desire see the infinite number of shit storms that could have happened if Bette hadn't faced Eiling. Still, I felt extremely guilty for what I did even if it meant getting one step closer to home.

"Evelyn."

I snapped out of a daydream I didn't realize I was having. As my vision came back into focus I watched my shield flicker away. Eobard approached me in slow strides.

"Your shield manifested when you stopped paying attention," he explained. "What were you thinking about?"

I frowned and looked down at the matted floor.

"…Bette," I mumbled.

"You feel guilt for what happened," he concluded.

"Yeah," I admitted.

"In the end Miss Sans Souci made her choice," Eobard reminded me. "Don't let her death distract you."

My frown deepened. I couldn't think of what to say to argue back so I just kept my mouth shut and concentrated on my shield exercises. Even without Bette's death clouding my thoughts I still couldn't consciously get my shield to grow past my hips. Apparently I grew visibly frustrated because Eobard felt the need to speak up.

"You can't be perfect at something the first time you attempt it," Eobard chided. "You need to calm down and focus your energy."

I involuntarily let out a short laugh. "You sound like—"

 _Don't!_ my inner voice warned. _He could use anything you say against you._

One of Eobard's eyebrows raised slightly when I cut my sentence short.

"Sound like who?" he asked curiously.

"Nevermind," I said quickly.

Eobard sighed. "Evelyn, I know our…arrangement may have you on edge but keeping your thoughts and emotions bottled up inside is not a healthy habit. That may be causing this mental block you have."

 _There he goes again twisting my arm to get what he wants…sneaky fucking bastard._

"What you said reminded me of something my husband says to me all the time," I admitted.

"You must miss him…and your daughter," Eobard stated sympathetically.

Eobard actually sounded sincere when he said that. I knew better than to believe him. He was just trying to get an emotional response out of me again. It worked.

My heart ached as their faces invaded my mind. His goofy smile and her infectious laughter brought tears to my eyes. I quickly wiped the tears away with the back of my hand.

"Try again," Eobard commanded.

I closed my eyes and held my breath. I felt the connection to my power almost instantly. The energy swirling inside me filled my whole body with warmth.

"Can you feel the connection?" Eobard asked me.

"Yes," I responded with a small nod.

"Good. Now open your eyes." I obeyed him. "Spread your focus from the connection to the source of your power. Give it form."

Just like he said I imagined the energy flowing from the pit of my stomach upwards. I felt the energy solidify above my head and steadily grow down towards the floor. As the shield entered my peripheral vision my concentration wavered. Before I had the chance to react the shield vanished and I couldn't feel the source of my power anymore. I sighed with disappointment and Eobard shook his head.

"If you continue to suppress your emotions you'll suppress your full potential," he lectured.

I opened my mouth to speak but Cisco's voice over the loudspeaker cut me off.

"Dr. Wells, Barry has some case files he wants you to see," Cisco said. "Also, he got us all pizza from Keystone."

Eobard sighed. "Freshen up and then come upstairs," he said as he walked back to the wheelchair. "Don't take too long or the pizza will get cold."

"Is Keystone pizza good?" I asked him.

"Very," Eobard replied without hesitation. "It's just as good where I come from. I'll meet you upstairs."

"Okay."

I left the training room with a small smile on my face. It felt nice to hear something about the future that hadn't been said on the show. In a way it kind of made me feel special.

During my quick shower and the trip upstairs I constantly reminded myself to act like I'd never had pizza before. The last thing I wanted was a slip up over something stupid like pizza.

I entered the cortex as Eobard—now under the guise of Dr. Wells—reviewed the case files Barry brought back from CCPD. Before today's training I remembered Barry briefly mentioned how during a house fire downtown the fire hydrant just outside couldn't produce a single drop of water until after he put the fire out himself. CCPD had the city check their water system and apparently it was still operational so they had no idea why the fire hydrant didn't work only during the fire.

"Glad you could finally join us," Dr. Wells said without looking up from the case file.

"Me too, this pizza smells really good," I said as I grabbed a slice covered in pepperoni. I barely fought back a moan as the crust crunched in my mouth. "Oh my God…"

"Having super speed has its perks," Barry said before he took another bite of his half eaten slice.

"So, are there any updates on the case?" I asked as I stood beside the speedster.

"The homeowner claims a former classmate named Lucy Arrington was involved somehow," Barry informed me. "He says she's been stalking him for the last few days."

Cisco shoved the last of his slice into his mouth so he could search for information about Lucy. A few seconds later a profile with a picture popped up on the screen. In the mugshot Lucy had a blonde pixie haircut and striking green eyes. She also had a minor cut on her left eyebrow and fresh bruises all over her face.

"Looks like she was arrested for disorderly conduct about ten months ago but the charges were dropped," Cisco read aloud. "She's been missing ever since. Her last known address isn't far from here."

Barry read the address on the screen and then excused himself to call Joe.

"So, I've given this a lot of thought and I think I finally came up with a name for you," Cisco announced with a big smile.

My grin grew just as wide as his. "Really?" I asked with excitement.

Cisco nodded. "The Shield."

I chewed on my pizza thoughtfully as I repeated the nickname in my head.

"I like it but I feel like it's a tad too literal," I said truthfully.

Cisco made a jokingly sour face. "I wasn't sold on that one yet anyway. I'll come up with something better."

"Maybe we should hold off on the name until I can actually make a full shield," I joked at my own expense.

Cisco smiled and took another huge bite of pizza. I felt better now that Cisco wasn't so suspicious of me. I briefly wondered what was up with that since it seemed so out of character for him.

"How has training been going for you?" Caitlin asked me. She then blotted pizza grease off her bright red lips.

I frowned slightly. "It's been going okay."

"Well, you know what they say," Caitlin said encouragingly. "Practice makes perfect. Um…you do know that phrase, right?"

"I do now," I said with a laugh.

In the middle of the laugh I involuntarily let out a loud yawn. A sudden wave of exhaustion swept over me.

"Sorry, I just feel really tired all of a sudden," I said as I stretched my arms.

"You shouldn't feel so tired this late in the morning," Dr. Wells stated with concern. "Have you been getting enough sleep?"

"I got about eight hours worth last night," I responded.

My stomach quietly grumbled so I grabbed another slice of pizza. As I opened my mouth to take a bite Barry sped into the room, grabbed his suit, and left. The force of the wind knocked the slice out of my hand. I frowned at the floor expecting to see pizza splattered all over my shoes. The slice was nowhere to be found.

 _That jerk just took my slice on the way out!_ I thought as I looked at the doorway.

"The police found Lucy already!" Barry explained through the intercom. His voice sounded extremely panicked. "Both officers are injured and they just called for back up!"

Caitlin quickly moved the pizza boxes so Cisco and Dr. Wells could have more room to work. I stood by the desk with the pizza to watch them from a distance. Cisco had a map pulled up in seconds. Barry's locator icon zipped through the streets until it stopped at Central City University. Dr. Wells brought up live footage from the campus security cameras.

Two police officers lay on the ground in front of Lucy and the Flash stood a few yards away.

"Stay away from me or you'll end up like them!" Lucy threatened as she took on a fighting stance.

"I'm not trying to hurt you," the Flash assured her. "But I can't let you hurt anymore people."

Lucy glared at him. "Only one person deserves to be hurt and if you get in my way you will be too."

Lucy charged at the Flash and he just shook his head. He sped behind her and easily bound her wrists.

"Seriously, what did she think was going to happen?" Cisco asked, shaking his head.

Without warning Lucy's entire body turned into a puddle of water. The Flash lifted one foot and stomped down on the puddle as hard as he could. The water absorbed into the ground just before his foot made contact.

"Uh…guys…she's a metahuman that turns into water," the Flash announced, staring at the ground.

"We saw what happened," Dr. Wells said. "Come back for now."

Onscreen the Flash nodded and zoomed away. Seconds later he reappeared in S.T.A.R. Labs and casually pulled the mask back.

"So what now?" Barry asked with worry.

"Now we track down Miss Arrington," Dr. Wells stated as if it was obvious.

"Even if we can track her down how can I catch her?" Barry asked him. "She literally slipped through my fingers and got away."

"Don't worry, man, we'll get her," Cisco told his friend confidently. "I've already got a few ideas on how to stop her in her water form."

The glint in Dr. Wells's eyes when he smiled at Cisco with pride made my heart twinge. I recalled the episode where he finally revealed his identity to Cisco and plunged his hand through the young genius's chest. The emotions I felt in that moment were nothing compared to how I felt now that I knew that timeline could become a reality. If Cisco could get injured because of a skewed timeline his death was also a possibility.

"Evelyn, are you all right?"

I snapped out of my daydream when I heard Barry's concerned voice.

"Yeah, why?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Your eyes were glowing," Barry replied.

"Oh, sorry," I apologized. "I guess I need to focus better."

"Evelyn, may I have a word with you please?" Dr. Wells asked politely.

 _Damn it._

"Of course, Dr. Wells," I said with a smile.

Dr. Wells led me into a side office and I shut the door behind me. When he faced me with a very serious look I knew he was about to speak to me as himself not his persona.

"In the future be more mindful about your thoughts," Eobard lectured sternly. "If this becomes a recurring problem they could begin to suspect that you've recovered your memories."

"Yes, sir," I said in a poor attempt to not sound bitter.

"In any case, what do you know about Lucy Arrington?" he asked me. He crossed his arms as he waited for my reply.

"I just know what you guys told me."

Eobard didn't like that answer at all.

"You don't remember anything about her?" he asked with a sharp glare.

I shook my head. "No. The show didn't cover every metahuman you came up against."

Eobard rubbed the side of his head with frustration. "This metahuman is going to be problematic..."

"How so?"

"The records in my time have little to no information on her. All I know is that the Flash from my time could never catch her even with advanced tracking technology. If she was ever contained she somehow slipped through the most miniscule crack."

"...Well that sucks."

Eobard sighed most likely due to my choice of words.

"If she is not captured she could become a future distraction to Barry," he went on. "I have a plan that has potential if you can gain proper control over your ability. Because your shield is made from pure energy theoretically there would be no cracks for her to escape through."

"Huh…that makes sense." Then I realized that meant I would have to face a metahuman in combat. "Wait, are you being serious?"

"Very."

"I can barely use my powers! If I don't concentrate enough they do whatever they want!"

"That simply means you need to train harder. Maybe one day your attention span will be longer than that of a goldfish's."

I suddenly felt a nearly overwhelming urge to smack that smirk off his face. I loved Eobard as a fictional character but as a real person he really got under my skin. This situation brought conflicted feelings to a whole new level for me.

"I'll meet you in the training room downstairs," Eobard said. "I need to take care of a few things here regarding Miss Arrington."

I nodded and left the office. On my way out I grabbed another Hawaiian slice to replace the one Barry took from me. I leaned on the back wall of the elevator as I ate. I let out another huge yawn when the elevator door opened.

It felt strange to enter the training room without Eobard. Even though I was alone I still felt like he was watching me. Knowing him he was probably sitting in his time vault watching me through his candid camera setup.

While I waited I decided to play some music on my phone since Eobard wasn't around. He felt that music during training would just distract me. I, on the other hand, found that the right genre helped me concentrate. I was in the mood for some classical music so I picked a random Mozart playlist from YouTube and set my phone on the floor a few feet away. Hearing the soothing music helped me gain quicker access to my ability but I still couldn't make the shield bigger than normal.

"I have to be doing something wrong…" I grumbled.

I yawned again and rubbed my eyes. I roughly shook my head to wake myself up but I still felt really tired. Still, I pushed on with my training.

 _What the hell is taking Eobard so long?_ I thought.

After my fourth attempt I decided to take a break. I felt extra lazy so I decided to lay on the floor. Moonlight Sonata gently played from my phone as I stared up at the ceiling.

My mind wandered off to thoughts about my family but I forced them away. I knew Eobard was right when he said suppressing my emotions wasn't healthy but I had too much on my plate. I didn't need a distraction.

Before I could get too comfortable I got back onto my feet. When I tried to make the connection something instinctively told me to stop. For a few seconds I hesitated before I ignored that feeling and solidified the connection again. This time my shield barely appeared before I collapsed to my hands and knees. My limbs became so weak I could barely hold myself up.

 _What's happening to me…? I feel so weak… I'll just shut my eyes for a second…_

I attempted to lay on my side but someone caught me and sat me upright.

"Evelyn, stay awake!" Barry said loudly.

I opened my mouth to speak but couldn't so I simply shut it again. Barry said something else just before I felt extremely dizzy. Something tightly squeezed my arm and indistinguishable sounds blurred together in the background. After another wave of dizziness everything became utterly silent.

Then I felt it.

Warmth spread through every vein in my body. The warmer I felt the more aware of my surroundings I became. A cool breeze blew by and the distant sound of cars honking became steadily clearer. Soon I realized someone was holding me in their arms. I found that I had enough energy to open my eyes.

"Looks like you feel better," Barry said, smiling down at me.

"Uh…yeah…" I mumbled as my cheeks flared red.

"Do you think you can stand?" he asked, concerned.

I felt my face flush even more.

"I-if you put me down slowly I should be fine," I stuttered.

Barry slowly lowered me to my feet. I instantly lost my footing and Barry had to catch me. He gently eased me down to the floor and leaned my back against some kind of railing. I took a quick look around and saw a huge metal walkway several yards above me. The walkway connected three tall structures one of which was covered in scorch marks and had a large chunk missing.

 _Wait a second…_

"Are we on the roof?" I asked as I continued to look around.

"Yeah we are," Barry replied.

"Um…why?"

"Well..."

###

 _Barry watched the computer screens over Cisco's shoulder as the super genius doxed more information about Lucy and the house fire victim. The victim, a man named Wilson Wright, also had a criminal record. When Barry read the report his eyes widened._

 _"Whoa..." he uttered._

 _"Damn..." Cisco mumbled as he finished reading the report._

 _Dr. Wells wheeled himself over with a curious look on his face._

 _"What did you find?" he asked them._

 _"Well, I think I figured out why Wilson claimed Aquarius was responsible," Cisco announced._

 _Dr. Wells ignored the improvised nickname for the metahuman and waited for Cisco to continue._

 _"The day the particle accelerator exploded Wilson was the driver behind a hit and run," Cisco revealed with a depressing frown. "He knocked Lucy down a slope into a lake and ran over her younger sister Nina. Lucy was just a little banged up but her sister died of internal bleeding and other injuries not long after she got to the hospital._

 _"The next day Lucy confronted Wilson and they got into a heated argument. When the police got called Lucy was arrested for disorderly conduct but the charges were dropped when she showed them a video of him hitting Nina."_

 _"How did she obtain the footage?" Dr. Wells asked._

 _"The file says they were filming for a class project at Central City University," Cisco responded._

 _"Was Miss Arrington a student there?"_

 _"Yeah, and the jerk that ran over her sister was their teacher. That's how she knew where to find him and what his car looked like."_

 _Just as Cisco opened his mouth to continue a loud ringing noise came from the tablet attached to Dr. Wells's wheelchair. The man's eyes widened when he read the alert on his screen._

 _"Barry, get Evelyn and bring her up here now!" Dr. Wells ordered._

 _Without hesitation Barry ran out of the cortex and arrived in Evelyn's training room a few seconds later. She was on her hands and knees on the floor slowly swaying from side to side. Her eyes slid shut as her arms buckled beneath her. Barry grabbed her before her arms totally gave out._

 _"Evelyn, stay awake!" he practically shouted._

 _Barry rushed Evelyn upstairs when she didn't respond. On the way up he took a quick look at her. Her complexion grew more pale by the second. He arrived back in the cortex and showed her barely conscious body to Dr. Wells. Caitlin wrapped a blood pressure monitor around Evelyn's arm the moment Barry set her down._

 _"What's happening to her?" Barry asked in panicked voice._

 _Dr. Wells frowned as he shook his head. "I don't know. Her heart rate suddenly plummeted to a rate too low for the watch to read."_

 _"It's lower than sixty beats per minute!" Caitlin exclaimed._

 _Evelyn attempted to open her eyes but they couldn't even open halfway. Her eyes glowed brightly for a few seconds and then the light flickered away. Her eyes continued to flicker with light as she struggled to remain conscious._

 _"What's going on with her eyes?" Cisco asked._

 _Dr. Wells's eyes widened in realization._

 _"Her body doesn't just absorb UV energy to create her shield she needs it to survive," Dr. Wells deduced quickly. "Because she has been inside her body has had limited UV rays to absorb."_

 _"So she just needs UV exposure?" Caitlin asked uncertainly as she removed the monitor._

 _"I'm taking her to the roof!" Barry announced._

 _Barry raced out of the cortex with Evelyn in his arms. He pushed himself to speed up the flights of stairs that led to the roof. He looked down at Evelyn who began to mumble incoherently. The only thing he heard was her own name over and over again. He screeched to a halt in the middle of the roof._

 _When nothing immediately happened Barry's concern skyrocketed._

 _"Come on, come on..." Barry uttered. "Please work...please!"_

 _The glow in Evelyn's eyes changed to a steady light before it slowly faded away. Her skin didn't gain any color back but it stopped growing paler. A few seconds later she finally began to stir. Barry smiled down at her with relief._

###

"…Wow."

That was all I could say after Barry's long winded explanation. About halfway through his story he decided to sit on the floor next to me. Something about his presence made me feel so happy and safe.

Then guilt reared its ugly head again.

I was consciously betraying and lying to the person that just saved my life without hesitation. Barry hardly knew me but he still reacted as if Cisco or Caitlin had been in danger. It made me feel like a piece of shit.

"So, how long do you think I should be up here?" I asked weakly. "The sun is definitely helping but it doesn't really feel like it's enough..."

"I'll call Dr. Wells and see what he thinks," Barry said as he reached into his pocket. He dialed a number and put the phone to his ear. "Dr. Wells? …Yeah, she's fine but she feels like she's not getting enough energy from the sun."

There was a long pause from Barry but I couldn't hear anything on the other line.

"If you think it'll work it's worth a try," Barry finally said. "How long do you think it'll take Cisco to rig it up?" Barry made a distasteful face. "So what should she do in the meantime? She can't exactly stay out of the sun. ...Okay, I'll figure something out. Bye."

Barry ended the call and then shoved the phone back into his pocket.

"The good news is Dr. Wells and Cisco came up with a way to...charge you back up," Barry informed me. I smiled at his awkwardly chosen choice of words. "Dr. Wells is going to buy a tanning bed and Cisco is going to modify it so that it emits stronger UV rays. See, the UV rays in a tanning bed are stronger than natural sunlight so using a modified one will give you energy faster than staying up here."

"Oh...that makes sense," I said.

"Cisco thinks he can modify it so you only have to use it for an hour give or take," Barry continued. Then he frowned. "Unfortunately it'll take a few hours for Dr. Wells to buy the tanning bed, get it here, and then for Cisco to fix it."

I frowned as well. "...Well that sucks."

"If it makes you feel any better I can—"

The ringer on Barry's phone cut him off mid sentence. He sighed heavily and answered the call.

"Sup, Joe?" he asked casually. Barry bit his lower lip as he held back a curse. "I'll be right there." He put his phone away again and looked at me sadly. "Well, I was going to keep you company but the police need CSI at the university where Aquarius just was. Dr. Wells said you have to stay up here in the sun or your heart rate could drop again."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course he did..."

Barry put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Hey, you'll be fine. Cisco and Dr. Wells will be able to help you."

 _Like with Bette, right?_ I thought sarcastically.

"I know," I said with a small smile. "Thanks, Barry."

Before Barry left he grabbed my laptop from my room. With a sigh I flipped the screen open and turned it on to watch random shows.

About an hour or so after Barry left Caitlin came up to check on me. She felt bad that I had to stay on the roof by myself so she kept me company for a while. We actually watched an episode of House M.D. together before she had to get back to work. Apparently she was helping Cisco and Dr. Wells determine how strong the UV rays needed to be in order to give me energy without potentially killing me in the process. She seemed pretty confident with their progress so far which made me feel a bit better.

Around dinnertime Caitlin came back to the roof this time with food from Big Belly Burger. She sat beside me as I ate to tell me that the tanning bed was finally finished. They managed to give my "super bed", as Cisco liked to call it, a manual control panel that allowed different intensity settings. After she explained how the super bed worked she frowned slightly.

"...Why don't I like that expression on your face?" I asked worriedly.

"There is one _small_ catch about using the super bed," Caitlin admitted. "In order for the UV rays to give your body energy they need to be at a high enough level where the heat and radiation could...potentially cause any clothing you wear to combust."

"…Okay?" I said unsurely. Then it clicked. "Oh…"

"Cisco has a few ideas on how to make fabric durable enough that the UV rays won't damage it but until then…"

"I have to be naked…" I sighed heavily. "I guess it can't be helped."

I finished off the last of my food and Caitlin helped me to my feet. As soon as I stepped out of the sun I felt my body get weaker but with Caitlin's help I managed to get to my room without collapsing.

Other than a touchscreen control panel attached to one end the super bed looked like any other tanning bed to me. Most of the work had been internal so I'm not sure why I expected it to look any different on the outside.

Caitlin shut the door behind us and turned her back so I could get undressed. As I pulled off my clothes I felt extremely self conscious. I knew basic security cameras weren't installed in every room but I strongly suspected that Eobard had hidden cameras in here somewhere. The thought of him watching me made me feel sick to my stomach instead of excited like I thought I would.

Once I was in the super bed Caitlin handed me a set of goggles to wear over my eyes. She advised me to keep my eyes shut even with them on since the goggles were meant for a normal tanning bed. As she started to close the lid I asked if I had to remove my vitals watch. Caitlin told me that Dr. Wells believed it could withstand the UV rays and then shut me inside. Her high heels clacked along the floor as she approached the control panel.

"I'm going to put it on the lowest setting and turn it up if I need to, okay?" Caitlin asked me.

I nodded then realized she couldn't even see me.

"Yeah," I responded.

A few seconds later I felt a warm, tingling sensation all over my body. I felt like I was back on the rooftop. This time I felt very relaxed.

"How do you feel, Evelyn?" Caitlin suddenly asked.

"Really relaxed now but getting about the same amount of energy as on the roof," I told her.

"Good, that's what we were aiming for. I'm going to slowly turn it up so tell me if I need to stop. Okay?"

"Got it."

As the light intensified my body relaxed even more. My warm limbs felt increasingly heavy as the seconds passed. I barely managed to hold back a moan of pleasure.

"Evelyn, how do you feel?" I heard Caitlin ask.

I was so engrossed in the amazing sensation it took a few seconds for me to realize that I needed to respond.

"I feel _really_ good…" I informed her with a smile.

"Can you stick your arm out so I can get a blood sample?"

"Of course, Dr. Snow…"

My arm felt so heavy I struggled to stick it out of the gap to my left. Caitlin instructed me to hold my arm straight out and make a fist after she applied a tourniquet to my arm. I found myself struggling to follow her instructions but she managed to get her sample. Caitlin tucked my arm back in the super bed for me, turned it off, and went to a small machine she put on the filing cabinet that held my S.T.A.R. Labs themed wardrobe.

The warm feeling quickly faded away as did the heaviness in my body. I felt so alert I swore I had a large coffee with two shots of espresso. I desperately wanted to get out and stretch my legs but I forced myself to wait for Caitlin to say something.

"This is incredible!" Caitlin finally said after a long silence. "When your body absorbs the UV rays your brain releases a _very_ intense dosage of endorphins. This generally happens with most people when they go tanning but your endorphin levels are much higher."

"So…getting a tan makes me high now?" I asked.

"Well, yes and no. You don't appear to be getting a tan which is probably because of the way your body filters the radiation. Also, the types of endorphins your brain released during the process versus the ones released during a state of intoxication, for example, are different."

"Oh, okay. So how much longer do I need to be in here?"

"How do you feel?"

"Like I could keep up with Barry in a marathon. Okay maybe not _that_ fast but I feel pretty good."

Caitlin opened the lid to let me out so I could get dressed. I handed off the goggles to her and once my eyes adjusted to the light I quickly got dressed.

Caitlin opened the door to allow Dr. Wells and Cisco to come in. Caitlin filled them in on what happened and told them the super bed worked perfectly. During their conversation I overheard that I had been laying in there for about half an hour. It definitely felt a lot shorter than that to me.

When their chat was finally over Dr. Wells turned his attention to me.

"You don't feel any side effects from the procedure?" he asked me.

I shook my head. "Nope. I feel great, actually."

Dr. Wells smiled approvingly then faced Cisco and Caitlin.

"Why don't we all go downstairs for a quick training session?" he asked us all. "You two can observe Evelyn as she _carefully_ —" He briefly glanced at me in the corner of his eye. "—tests out the scope of her abilities once they have been regenerated."

On the way downstairs Cisco and Caitlin expressed their eagerness to watch me train. They were used to only studying Barry so to a point I understood their excitement.

While I stood in the center of the room Dr. Wells, Caitlin, and Cisco stood near the door. I took in a deep breath and exhaled nervously. I still wasn't used to training with one person watching let alone two extra sets of eyes. Still, I felt confident that my recharge would help get my ability on track.

Unsurprisingly, I was wrong.

My shield still refused to go past my hips without breaking my concentration. I felt increasingly more embarrassed as I failed in front of them two more times. During those attempts I just barely heard the trio whispering to each other on why I couldn't make a complete shield like the time I was unconscious. They theorized that an adrenaline spike combined with survival instincts during a fight could be the only thing that would trigger a full shield.

 _A fight..._

The memory flashed through my mind without warning. I recalled Starfire from Teen Titans deflecting an attack with her powers by creating a flat shield with her hands. I couldn't remember who she had been fighting but it easily deflected the attacks thrown at her.

 _Maybe if I try something like that I can force the shield to keep going,_ I theorized.

I stared at my hand and concentrated. Nothing happened. I waited for it to glow like my eyes or shield. Still nothing.

 _I guess I have to start it the usual way then try it._

Instead of keeping my hands down at my sides I raised them above my head. When the shield began to form I felt streams of energy extend into the tips of my fingers until the energy encompassed both hands. I dared to look up and saw my hands were now glowing the same blue hue as my shield. I slowly spread my hands apart and the shield's border extended to be parallel with my fingertips. I brought them closer together and the shield still followed my commands.

 _Holy shit! It's working!_

Once again I spread my hands apart. This time I didn't stop. The energy easily followed my hands which made me brave enough to pick up the pace a little. Before I knew it my shield spread past my hips and I was forced to crouch down to keep it going. When my shield finally touched the ground I inhaled deeply before I slowly drew my hands back. The energy receded back into my fingertips before it returned to the shield.

I waited a few seconds to see if the shield would collapse. Nothing happened. I stood up straight and looked around in awe. I could barely comprehend that I was finally standing in a completed shield.

"That's pretty dope," Cisco said, genuinely impressed.

I faced the trio with a bashful smile. Caitlin and Cisco had looks of joy on their faces. Dr. Wells had a proud glimmer in his eyes.

"Excellent work, Evelyn," Dr. Wells praised with a smile.

For a split second my smile faltered but I forced it back on. Hearing that name still twisted my heart.

"What gave you the idea to use your hands?" Caitlin asked.

"I dunno," I lied easily. "It just kind of clicked since I hadn't tried it yet."

"I'm glad that you are finally showing progress in harnessing your ability," Dr. Wells said. "It appears maintaining an established shield hardly takes any effort."

"I guess not. I barely need to concentrate."

"If that's the case then we should see how durable your shield is."

I really didn't like the way Dr. Wells smiled at me when he said that. He asked Cisco to bring in the box from the room next door. When Cisco returned with the cardboard box Dr. Wells asked him to open the box and then throw the contents at me one at a time. Cisco reached into the box and pulled out a bright yellow tennis ball. I felt relieved that I wasn't about to have something drastic thrown at me. Part of me honestly expected a bomb. A small one, but still.

Cisco took a few steps to the side so he was a safe distance away from Dr. Wells and Caitlin. He threw the tennis ball at me as hard as he could. The ball bounced backwards so fast Cisco barely managed to duck in time. I looked at the point of impact with a frown. A crack no bigger than my thumb had appeared in the curved wall.

 _And Eobard wants me to trap a metahuman that can turn into water when I can't even deflect a fucking tennis ball properly… This is going to suck._

From there Dr. Wells had me focus on repairing the crack which took quite a bit of effort on my part. After that I worked on strengthening my shield. Over the next hour or so the tennis ball cracks got noticeably smaller until they stopped completely. For the first time in days I felt happy about the progress I made.

Eobard didn't seem as happy as me though. Unlike Cisco and Caitlin I easily caught the hidden meanings being his seemingly innocent comments as Dr. Wells. He dropped several hints that I was nowhere close to executing his plan to use me to catch Lucy. I knew he was right but it still hurt my newly developed ego.

Later that night CCPD got an anonymous tip that Lucy had been spotted downtown. When Barry showed up to stop her he noted that she seemed a little sickly and her clothes were dirty. Their encounter quickly escalated into an all out brawl.

Lucy used a combination of her powers and Brazilian jiu-jitsu to get away. Barry tried to use his speed as well as his own combat training to his advantage. Lucy just kept turning into water whenever he got a hold of her and then became solid enough to throw in a punch or two. Eventually she disappeared into the ground again but not before she swore he wouldn't deter her next time.

The following morning Cisco greeted me with a few surprises. He brought me breakfast from Jitters, a remote control, and a new set of clothes. He explained that the remote was made for the super bed so that I could just use it at the preset energy settings for my "morning charge". The clothes were made out of a thick silver colored material he synthesized to withstand the super bed's UV rays. Cisco claimed the only downside to the fabric was that it wasn't as breathable as he wanted it to be.

Cisco showed me how the remote worked and left me to charge up. After scarfing down breakfast I got dressed into my new clothes and climbed in the super bed. Feeling the UV rays give me energy felt just as good as last time if not better. This time I stayed in it for an hour to give myself an extra boost. Just as the super bed shut itself off I heard a knock at my door.

"Come in," I called as I sat up.

The door opened and Dr. Wells rolled in.

"Good morning, Evelyn," he greeted with a smile.

"Good morning, Dr. Wells," I said in return as I approached him. "Training time?"

Dr. Wells's gaze briefly went down before he nodded. I found it a little odd but I didn't think much of it.

"This morning we're going to do something a little different," he told me.

"How so?" I asked curiously.

"Get changed and I'll tell you about it on the way to the training room," Dr. Wells said, continuing to smile.

I couldn't help noticing that once again he looked downwards before he left me alone. I looked down at myself to figure out what he had been looking at.

 _...Oh._

I rushed to my bathroom mirror and studied my reflection. At first glance the thickness of my charge clothes hid the fact that I wasn't wearing any underwear. Unfortunately after taking a few steps back and forth in front of the mirror I realized my undersized chest very obviously bounced as I walked. When Dr. Wells first entered the room I took several steps towards him.

 _That's why that motherfucker had that smile on his face!_ I realized. _I guess I can't really blame him for looking though. It's my own fault for not putting any underwear on before I answered the door. Plus it's not like he's had any since he got here and I'm a sexy bitch. ...Not so much that last part._

My mental rambling continued as I quickly changed into some grey and black workout clothes. I made sure to pick out the sports bra with the most padding.

When I got to the training room Dr. Wells instructed me to shut the door. As I did he stood out of his wheelchair and resumed his true persona.

"I see you're wearing the proper undergarments now," Eobard said as he examined my shirt and pants.

I glared at him and he cracked a small smile.

"So what's the plan, Eobard?" I asked him. I crossed my arms and impatiently waited for his response.

"Tell me, do you have any martial arts training?" Eobard asked, putting his hands behind his back.

"Nope," I replied. "Not even a little."

Eobard closed his eyes and shook his head.

"I'm going to teach you the basics of what I know," he told me. "Based on Barry's account of his second interaction with Lucy Arrington you will need to know at least some martial arts for when you face her."

Eobard started me out with perfecting my stance before he drilled me on punches, kicks, and blocks. Any time I messed up he made sure I knew it before making me do it again. Sweat beaded my forehead when he finally allowed me to have a short break.

"At least you're progressing fairly well," Eobard stated in a bored tone. He slowly paced in front of me as I sat on the floor. "Whether or not you can successfully put these exercises to use is still to be determined."

"I guess that's as close to a compliment I'll get with you so I'll take it," I said, stretching my tired arms above my head. I lay down on my back and folded my hands on my stomach. "So, are there any new leads on Aquarius or whatever Cisco's calling her?"

"Unfortunately no," Eobard admitted with a sour expression. "Anything we have tried has come up with nothing. She hasn't even been seen on traffic cameras."

"What if she needs to replenish her powers like I do?" I asked, staring at the ceiling. "Wouldn't she be hiding near a big source of water?"

"Barry has already searched every lake, pond, and water bottle factory in the city."

"What about the sewers?"

"…No, he hasn't. What makes you think she would be in the sewers?"

"Didn't Barry say she looked kind of sick and dirty when he saw her again? She could be staying in the sewers to hide from him after he found her again. All the bacteria and shit that's down there could be making her sick—"

"And therefore weaker. While that may be true you and Barry must keep her away from any large source of water no matter how contaminated it may be. She could easily overpower both of you if she tried."

I stared up at the ceiling in silence for a while. Something about the sewers was bothering me and I couldn't figure out what it was. The more I thought about it the more it bothered me.

 _Grodd!_ I thought suddenly _. He's in the sewers! What if Barry finds him before he's supposed to?_

I sat up to look Eobard in the eye. He was still pacing in front of me deep in thought.

"So, um…let's say theoretically Barry and I somehow end up in the sewers chasing down Aquarius," I began awkwardly. "What would happen if we ran into Grodd?"

Eobard immediately stopped pacing and faced me.

"Did you just say that Grodd is in the sewers?" he asked in a serious voice.

"Um…yeah," I hesitated to reply. "Aren't you hiding him down there?"

"I haven't been able to find him since the particle accelerator explosion," Eobard admitted. A look of realization spread over his face. "The first memory you told me of was about Grodd and Eiling in a dark tunnel with writing on the walls. They were in the sewers, weren't they?"

"Yeah. From what I understood you were hiding him in the sewers since you couldn't exactly take him back to S.T.A.R. Labs. I didn't see where he slept or anything but based on how much was written on the walls he spent a lot of time down there."

"I have to go," Eobard said suddenly. He briskly walked for his wheelchair.

"Wait you're not going to go find him now, are you?" I asked him as I practically jumped to my feet. "What about my training?"

Eobard ignored me and put his disguise glasses on. As he left _the_ room he got on his cell phone to call Barry. He told Barry to come to S.T.A.R. Labs as soon as he could. I couldn't hear the rest of the conversation when he disappeared from view.

###

"You want me to _spar_ with her?" Barry repeated.

Eobard, still disguised as Dr. Wells, nodded even though Barry couldn't see the gesture.

"Yes, I do," he replied.

"Do you really think that's such a good idea?" Barry asked. There was a hint of worry in the way he spoke. "She's just starting to get a handle on her powers and…I don't want him to find her."

"Believe me, Barry, I understand your concern," Eobard said truthfully. "However, we are running out of options because Miss Arrington has been so difficult to apprehend. I am currently working on a fallback solution should something go wrong."

"What is it?"

"Nothing worth mentioning until Cisco and I have a working prototype. Will you be all right sparing with Evelyn?"

"…Yeah."

The hesitant tone in Barry's voice didn't give Eobard much confidence. He hung up the phone and sighed as he shook his head.

Once Eobard reached the time vault he got out of the wheelchair. He put his hand on Gideon's podium and smiled when her projection appeared.

"Good morning, Dr. Wells," the A.I. greeted.

"Good morning, Gideon," Eobard greeted in return. "Have there been any reports of unusual activity in the sewers?"

"A report was released this morning," Gideon stated as a short article appeared on the wall. "Four construction workers claim to have been attacked by a large animal while doing maintenance work in the sewers."

Eobard quickly scanned the article to make a mental note of which section of the sewers to visit first. He scowled when he saw the name on the by-line.

 **The Beast Below**

 **By Mason Bridge**

Ever since the incident last year Mason Bridge decided to make it his personal mission to tarnish the reputation he built as Dr. Wells. The troublesome man was proving to be quite a thorn in his side. Fortunately Mason Bridge could be left alone for the time being; Grodd could not.

The time traveler changed into his yellow suit and sped out of S.T.A.R. Labs. His speed was so great he reached the sewers within seconds. At first glance nothing seemed amiss.

Then he heard a low growl.

Eobard slowly faced the tunnel at his back. A massive shadow appeared on the murky water's rippling surface. He smiled as he watched the shadow steadily get closer. Eobard reached up to his mask and pulled it back from his face.

"It's okay, boy," Eobard said in a gentle voice. "It's me."

The growl ceased and the shadow stopped moving. A deep, rough voice echoed a single word in Eobard's mind.

 _Father…?_ the voice said uncertainly.

At first the voice startled Eobard. He had no idea the particle accelerator combined with Eiling's atrocious experiments had actually given Grodd psychic abilities.

"Yes, it's me," Eobard said with a smile. "I finally found you."

 _You…looked for me?_ Grodd asked in astonishment.

"Of course I did. When Caitlin told me your cage was empty I was angry at myself for not taking better care of you."

The shadow moved again and this time Grodd came around the corner. The gorilla's muscles had grown massively since Eobard last saw him. He also noted how much larger his cranium had gotten.

 _Father always took care of me,_ Grodd said as he slowly approached Eobard. _That is why he is father and I am Grodd._

Eobard genuinely smiled at Grodd as he pat the animal on the shoulder. Grodd closed his eyes as he savored his surrogate father's touch.

"You must have been lonely down here," Eobard stated.

 _Yes…_ Grodd admitted. _Very lonely. But now that father is here to take Grodd home he is not lonely anymore._

"You can't come home yet," Eobard told the gorilla. "Before I get you out of here a few things need to be done and you're going to help me."

Eobard reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture of Lucy Arrington.

"Have you seen this girl hiding down here?" he asked.

Grodd carefully studied the picture before he responded.

 _Yes,_ he said. _She becomes one with the water._

"Where?"

 _Northwest several miles. What does father need with her?_

"Don't worry about that," Eobard said in a firm voice. "Tonight a speedster in red will attempt to capture this metahuman. The speedster will have a companion dressed in silver that can create a shield made of blue energy. She is an ally to us and she may need your help due to her…inexperience. If you sense that she or the red speedster are in lethal danger you will save them no matter the cost. Understood?"

 _Yes, father._

Eobard smiled approvingly. "Good boy. I'll get your favorite if it all goes well."

Grodd snorted and puffed out his muscular chest.

 _Grodd do anything for father even without bamboo._

Eobard smiled. "I know you will."

###

Training with Barry went as well as I expected it to. I got my ass kicked. Every time. I never landed a single punch on him. He hadn't even used his speed. Well, until he decided to get us Chinese food from downtown.

"Wow, this is _seriously_ hitting the spot, Barry," I said after a few bites. "You weren't kidding about this being the best Chinese in the city. Not that I really have anything to compare it to but still I can't imagine any other place beating this General Tso's or whatever it's called."

Barry laughed. "Well, I'm glad you like it. I just felt kind of bad that you haven't been able to leave the lab so I figured you should have more to eat than Big Belly Burger and Jitters."

"If tonight goes well maybe Dr. Wells will actually let me see the city."

"He's just doing what he thinks is best. We all are. None of us want the man in yellow to capture you again."

I frowned and set my fork down. "Yeah, I know. You guys have done so much for me so I'm just trying to work hard to make sure all your effort wasn't for nothing."

"Well, you've been doing good so far. When I first started using my powers I actually broke my arm."

"Ouch. That had to hurt."

"Yeah, it did. A lot."

Once we ate the rest of our food we went back to sparring. I had my legs swept out from under me almost immediately after we started. I quickly got myself back on my feet and ran for him again. Barry caught my punch just as Dr. Wells entered the room.

"How has training been going?" he asked us.

"It's been…fine," Barry lied.

I sighed. "You don't need to lie, Barry. I'm terrible at fighting."

Dr. Wells pursed his lips. "Barry, could you please give us a moment?"

"Uh…sure," Barry replied.

The scarlet speedster gave me one last look before he left. When Barry shut the door behind him Eobard stood and crossed his arms.

"Barry went easy on you, didn't he?" he asked even though he already knew the answer.

"Of course he did," I said with frustration. "And even then he still kicked my ass. Repeatedly. I can't go out there! Lucy will beat the piss out of me!"

"Like it or not you will have to," Eobard said with a glare. "Since your fighting skills leave much to be desired we are going to continue to focus on your shield. That may be the only thing to prevent you from getting yourself killed."

"Fine," I said, calming down a little. "I'll get the tennis balls."

"Don't bother, you're doing something different for this exercise," Eobard said as he walked to the back of his wheelchair. He grabbed something from the compartment behind the seat and walked back over to me. "Cisco and I made these for you. They're made of the same fabric as the clothes for the tanning bed in your room except these are lined with flexible metal wires similar to what are used inside ultraviolet lightbulbs. The metal had to be reinforced using special chemicals and a complicated refining process in order for them to withstand the energy you create. There is also a layer of insulation fabric to protect your hands from the immense heat the metal will conduct."

I grabbed the gloves from Eobard and examined them as I slid each one on. When I flexed my fingers they felt a little stiff due to the thick fabrics. Still, I couldn't feel any metal in the lining so that was a plus.

"First you're going to create a shield around yourself," Eobard instructed. "You are to only use your hands. The gloves need to be thoroughly tested."

Using the gloves felt weird at first. The metal in the gloves did cause the UV energy to manifest in my hands but they also made my hands borderline hot despite the insulation fabric. They definitely made creating a shield a lot easier though. The only downside was I had to try a million and one different ways to form the shield before I risked burning myself.

Quickly spinning in place with my arms extended worked the best but it made me too disoriented afterwards. The next best method was to create a small wall in front of me and then throw my arms back behind me in an arc to force the opposite ends of the wall to meet. If I didn't do it in exactly the right way the energy walls would essentially crash into each other and disappear.

When Eobard was finally satisfied with my speed and form I said I wanted to try something without the gloves. After a moment he stood back and watched silently. I took off the gloves and tossed them aside. I looked down at my hands and saw they were flushed bright pink from all the heat the gloves gave off. I put my sore hands above my head and concentrated.

As usual the shield began to form. Before I spread my hands apart I put my fingertips together to make a triangle shape with my hands. The energy obeyed my command and formed a small six-sided pyramid.

As I brought my hands apart in a downward slant a whoosh temporarily distracted me. I looked to Eobard to see him back in the wheelchair with his back to the opening door. Cisco poked his head into the room.

"Hey," he greeted us. "I just wanted to see how the gloves were…what are you doing?"

"I wanted to try something," I replied.

I turned my hands so that my fingertips faced in forwards instead of up and then slowly brought them down. The energy went straight down past my knees instead of continuing on the slant. I smirked and bent my legs slightly. With all the strength I could muster I leapt into the air. In one short motion I flicked my wrists down towards the space under my feet. The walls flew down to the floor in a point and the energy retreated from my hands. I almost lost my balance when I landed but with minimal arm flailing I somehow managed to not fall over. I waited for a few seconds to see if the shield would collapse or topple over but it didn't.

"Oh my God I can't believe it worked!" I exclaimed with excitement.

 _I can't believe I actually made the same crystal that Zelda got trapped in!_ I thought with excitement. _This is so cool!_

"Whoa, that's pretty sick," Cisco said as he fully entered the room. He stared at the shield with wide eyes.

"That is quite the crystalline prism," Dr. Wells complimented.

Out of the corner of his eyes he glanced at Cisco. A split second later Cisco clapped his hands together then pointed at me.

"Prism!" he practically shouted. "That's your hero name!"

In my peripherals I saw Dr. Wells give me a subtle nod. I smiled at Cisco as I dismissed the shield.

"I like it," I said honestly. "It has a nice ring to it."

"Told you I'd come up with something better," Cisco said with pride.

 _Yeah, with a little help from Eobard,_ said a voice in the back of my head.

Cisco then said he had to get back to work on his Aquarius solution and shut the door behind him as he left. Once he was gone I faced Eobard again.

"You totally guided him into naming me that," I accused.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Evelyn," Eobard said innocently as he stood up. "Now, if you're done fooling around we have to—"

Eobard cut himself off midsentence. He pulled his vibrating phone from his pocket and put it to his ear.

"Everything okay, Caitlin?" he asked. His eyes narrowed. "Does Barry know? …Good. We'll be right up."

Eobard hung up the phone and quickly shoved it into his pocket.

"Put your gloves back on," Eobard instructed as he sat down again. "Lucy has been spotted again. She's heading towards the hotel Wilson is staying at."

My heart pounded as I scooped my gloves from off the ground. I put them on as I followed Dr. Wells to the elevator. I cracked my knuckles nervously as the machine ascended.

"You will be fine as long as you keep calm and do exactly as I say," Dr. Wells whispered to me.

"I can't promise I'll stay calm but I'll listen to whatever you tell me," I said bluntly.

Dr. Wells sighed just before the elevator door opened. We rounded the bend and joined Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin in the cortex.

"Are they ready, Cisco?" Dr. Wells asked.

"They're all set but I could only make three," Cisco said, fetching a small case on the main desk. He opened it to reveal three small orbs. "I call them taser bombs. These puppies will release about twelve-hundred volts of electricity upon impact so once Aquarius is hit she'll be out cold. That should give Barry and Prism enough time to get her into her cell back here at S.T.A.R. Labs."

"Wait, if you have those why am I still going?" I asked with confusion.

"If Miss Arrington manages to not get hit by any of the bombs you will be Barry's last chance to catch her," Dr. Wells answered shortly. "If she manages to get away this time we may not be able to stop get from harming Wilson."

"Right…" was all I said.

Cisco closed the taser bomb case and set it back on the table. "And I have something else for you," he said as he faced me.

"You do?" I asked with surprise. "What is it?"

Cisco smiled as he produced a large white box from behind one of the monitors. He held the box out to me and I took it in my hands. My mouth fell open when I opened the box.

"Your suit is made out of kevlar fabric I made to match your gloves," Cisco quickly explained. "Basically it'll protect you from smaller caliber bullets, bits of shrapnel…stuff like that. You still have to watch out for knives and _big_ guns though."

I pulled the suit out to take a better look at it. The left and right sides of the silver jumpsuit bore a large blue fabric diamond that stretched from the torso's middle to halfway down the thighs. The diamonds had numerous closely spaced lines of horizontal stitching. The thin blue belt had a silver square buckle with a small blue diamond shape carved into the center. I also noticed that the elbows, knees, and shoulders had some kind of scrunched up blue material as padding.

I then flipped the suit around to take a look at the back. A silver hood lined at the edge with blue hung down from the back of the neck. Inside the box sat a silver eye mask with a thick elastic strap and a pair of silver ankle boots with three buckles along each side.

The suit's overall style screamed Central City to me. The hood, eye mask, and boots gave the outfit a perfect Starling City flair. I barely believed the outfit in my hands was made by the Cisco Ramon and it was made specifically for me.

"I'll get changed so we can go get Aquarius," I said as I scurried to the bathroom. "Thank you!"

When I entered the stall I tossed my outer clothes on the floor. As I dressed myself in the jumpsuit I noticed it fit me perfectly.

 _How'd he get my measurements?_ I pondered. _Eh, whatever. He probably guessed based on what I wear around the lab._

Once I was changed I rejoined everyone in the cortex. Barry was already dressed and waiting. Caitlin gave me a communicator to put in my ear and bid us good luck. Just as I put the communicator on Barry scooped me up in his arms and ran us out of the lab.

For a few seconds I felt woozy but Barry kept me steady until I regained my balance. My vision cleared to find Lucy Arrington standing on the sidewalk giving me an unimpressed look.

"You have a sidekick now?" she asked in disbelief. "Did you have to pick some bitch that gets motion sickness?"

 _Well fuck you too, bitch!_

"I know what happened to your sister Nina," the Flash said in his modified voice.

A look of pain briefly showed on Lucy's face at the mention of her sister's name.

"It doesn't have to be this way," the Flash continued.

"The justice system failed my sister by letting her killer walk free with nothing but a slap on the wrist just because he had the right connections!" Lucy shouted. She coughed loudly but refused to back down. "Only I can get justice for her now!"

"Stay back until I signal you," the Flash whispered to me.

With that he ran forward and thrust the bomb at Lucy in an attempt to take her by surprise. Her body morphed into clouded water that narrowly dodged the weapon. The device caused the glass in the overhead street lamp behind Lucy to explode.

When she returned to her human form she formed a fist and swung it at the Flash. He easily used his speed to run behind her and give her a punch of his own. He landed the hit but his next attempt was unsuccessful. Just like last time she turned into water just long enough to avoid a hit before she hit him back.

The Flash aimed another punch for her face but instead of turning into water she ducked down and went for an all-out tackle. He easily dodged her main attack but one hand was close enough to his belt to snag one of the taser bombs. Before the Flash had a chance to react she threw the bomb back at him.

When that bomb hit it caused the one still attached to his belt to go off as well. The Flash's body contorted before he crumpled onto the ground writhing in pain. His eyes slid shut as he instantly fell unconscious.

 _God damn it, Barry!_ I screamed in my head.

Lucy smiled as she faced me. A sense of dread and fear overwhelmed my body.

"Nice try," she gloated, "but no one can stop me."

"Get closer before you try to trap her," Dr. Wells instructed through my earpiece. "Remember, give the shield a complete form or she could escape through the ground again."

"This is your first day, isn't it?" Lucy asked even though she already knew the answer. "Look, I don't want to hurt you if I don't have to. If you back off now and let me get to the son of a bitch hiding in that hotel you won't end up like your partner over there."

"While I admit that asshole totally deserves it for what he did I can't let you break the law," I said as I took an uneasy step forward. "Especially not after what you just did to him."

"Wrong choice."

Lucy ran at me with her fists at the ready. I knew I'd only get one chance to catch her by surprise since she didn't know what my power was. This was that chance.

I bent my knees and brought energy into my hands. I waited until Lucy was only about two feet away to jump. As I left the ground my arms swung upwards. The beginnings of a giant sphere formed beneath my feet just above the ground. As the energy expanded Lucy tripped on the edge of the shield and stumbled into me. The orb completely formed just as we hit the bottom of my shield. My head violently slammed on the ground causing dark spots in the corners of my eyes.

Lucy gained her bearings much faster than I could. She pulled her fist back to prepare herself for the next punch. I reflexively covered my face with my forearms. Her fist bounced off a wide circle of energy that formed just above my arms. The heat in my hands intensified as Lucy kept at it. When fists didn't help she resorted to powerful kicks. I tried to block her with the mini shield I created but the heat and concentration began to overwhelm me.

"Evelyn, the shield is cracking!" Dr. Wells exclaimed.

I peeked over Lucy's shoulder and saw that he was right. Thin cracks were growing behind her. Thankfully she hadn't noticed yet. Without another option I let my personal shield go to focus on the one that kept us trapped. I repaired the cracks just before Lucy kicked the wind from my lungs.

The team struggled to figure out what to do as I failed to block any of her attacks.

"Is Barry okay?" Cisco asked the others with worry.

"His vitals are still erratic from the shock and they're normalizing slower than usual," Caitlin replied in a panicked voice.

"Evelyn, you need to hold her off until Barry can heal," Dr. Wells instructed me.

I wasn't given the opportunity to respond. Instead I screamed in pain as Lucy kicked me in the face. She pulled her foot back for another hit but suddenly she clutched the sides of her head. I took the opportunity to kick her legs out from under her. When she landed I got on top of her, formed energy around my right hand, and gave her a solid punch to the nose.

The cartilage in her nose cracked beneath my knuckles and her head bounced off the main barrier. I gave her one more power punch before she could recover. With her nose bent at a funny angle and blood dripping from her nostrils Lucy finally passed out. Panting heavily I stared down at her.

"Evelyn, is everything okay?" Dr. Wells asked urgently.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said between breaths. "Lucy's face is pretty fucked up though."

"Is she unconscious?" he asked.

"Uh…she looks like it," I replied uncertainly.

"Shine a light in her eyes," Caitlin instructed me. "If her pupils are unresponsive she's unconscious."

I knelt down and formed a light around one hand. That hand hovered a few inches from her face as the other hand forced one of her eyes open. That pupil didn't change size so I checked the other one. I got the same result.

"She's out cold," I informed the group.

As I dismissed my shield I heard a loud groan a few feet away. I turned in that direction and saw Barry had finally woken up. I rushed to his side and helped him sit up.

"How you feeling?" I asked him.

"I've been better," Barry admitted as he stood. "Where's Aquarius?"

"Knocked out after she tossed me around for a while," I replied, looking over my shoulder at her.

Barry saw her as well and smiled.

"Nice job, Prism," he congratulated me.

I smiled back at Barry just before he sped away with Aquarius. My smile faded once I was alone. Aquarius clearly had the upper hand for most of the fight. Then out of nowhere she clutched her head in pain. I looked around to see if anything could have caused it.

I almost glanced over it but my eyes were subconsciously drawn back to it. There was a sewer cap in the street a few feet away.

 _Eobard must have told Grodd to mentally attack Lucy in case something happened,_ I concluded.

Before I could blink I was back in S.T.A.R. Labs. The disorientation wasn't as bad this time so I didn't waver when Barry set me down. He removed his cowl as I took off my own mask.

Caitlin rushed over to me with an extremely worried look. She practically dragged me to an exam table and then assessed the injuries to my face. She claimed I would have several nasty bruises on top of needing stitches just under my hairline. After she cleaned up my face and stitched up my forehead she pulled the privacy curtain shut and told me to remove my suit so she could assess the rest of my injuries.

As I stripped down I felt the adrenaline from the fight leaving my system. My whole body suddenly felt stiff and increasingly painful. On top of my other injuries I had bruised ribs and first degree burns on my hands. Caitlin put some ointment on my hands and said that with a few days off, an ice pack, and some painkillers I would be fine.

I got dressed into my clothes from earlier and came out from behind the curtain. It was Barry's turn to be examined which left me alone with Cisco and Dr. Wells. Cisco congratulated me with a fistbump and then excused himself to check on Barry.

"Trapping yourself with Lucy was extremely reckless," Dr. Wells said in a quiet, frustrated voice. "You're lucky I had a backup plan."

"What else could I have done exactly?" I asked bitterly. "I've never made a shield around anything other than myself so I didn't really think it was a good time to experiment. Plus Barry went and got himself knocked out so I had to come up with something."

"Do you even realize the severity of what would have happened to you if Grodd hadn't interfered?" Dr. Wells asked. His grip on his armrests tightened so much his knuckles turned white.

"Yeah well maybe I shouldn't have been out there after only being conscious for a few days after being in a coma because God knows what happened to me!"

I barely managed to keep my voice down I felt so angry. Dr. Wells sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with frustration.

"As reckless as you were in the end you did manage to subdue a metahuman even the Flash from my time couldn't capture," Dr. Wells said, lowering his voice even further. "Please be more careful next time."

I sighed heavily. "I will. Thank you for your help, by the way. If you hadn't said the shield was cracking I wouldn't have noticed."

Eobard smiled at me. "You're welcome."

For the rest of the day I remained isolated in my room. In my isolation a part of me wondered if working with Eobard would truly be worth it in the end. Did I have what it took to betray these people and side with a time traveling murderer?

* * *

Well, there you have it. Feedback would be greatly appreciated.


	4. Chapter 3

I'm sorry for such a long break between chapters. Something in my personal life affected me to the point where I needed a writing break while I mentally recovered. Once that was overwith this chapter needed to be rewritten at least three times because I wasn't happy with it. Now that I am I hope you will be too.

* * *

Eobard cautiously looked from side to side. Once he felt positive that he was alone he put his hand to the wall in front of him. A faint glow spread beneath his hand as the hidden door opened. He pushed forward on the wheelchair's controls and the wall closed behind him. He stood and strolled towards Gideon's podium. The A.I.'s head appeared as he touched the object's flat surface.

"Good day, Dr. Wells," she greeted.

"One could always hope, Gideon," Eobard said with a small smile. He then put his hands in his pockets. "Bring up my logs, would you?"

"Certainly."

On one side of the screen a section titled "Barry Allen" and a long list of numbered entries appeared. On the other side of the screen entries appeared under the name "Evelyn Cavanagh".

"New entry, Evelyn Cavanagh," Eobard said clearly. "It has now been sixteen days since the subject appeared through the breach. Her ability has shown very little improvement beyond what she learned her first few days out of her coma. I believe that the main reason she has not progressed well with her ability is due to her continuously suppressing her emotions and thoughts of the family she has on her Earth. I have made several attempts to relieve her of this stress by guiding her to confide in me but she still distrusts me to some level. I fear that if she does not relieve these suppressed emotions they will cause her powers to react at an inopportune moment.

"On a more positive note it appears she knows what she is doing in regards to keeping the timeline intact as proven during the Tony Woodward incident. She managed to keep Barry fairly level headed despite his past history with the metahuman. She has also kept up her amnesia façade very well. No one suspects that all of her memories are intact. Even Cisco's suspicions of her have dampened significantly. I can only hope that she can continue the act despite the state of her mentality. End entry."

The "Evelyn Cavanagh" files disappeared leaving only the "Barry Allen" files. Eobard stared at the name thoughtfully for a moment. He finally shook his head.

"Bring up the feed in Evelyn's training room," he commanded.

"Of course."

Gideon vanished and a live video took her place. Just like the last few days Evelyn entered the training room alone. With a blank expression she set her phone down after selecting a piano song Eobard didn't recognize. She took a few steps back and sat on the floor. Her eyes slid shut as she began her routine meditation.

Eobard crossed his arms and watched silently as Evelyn attempted to form her crystal shield. Without any assistance from her hands the top easily manifested. Just as the side walls grew to be a few inches the shield flickered away. Evelyn's face contorted and her glowing eyes opened. She grabbed her phone and angrily threw it across the room. Then she did something he didn't expect.

Evelyn began to cry. Tears flowed down the sides of her face as she stifled her sobs. She wiped the tears away and slowly walked across the room to get her phone. When she picked it up she stared at her reflection in the screen.

"I've seen enough, Gideon," Eobard announced. The feed vanished instantaneously. "New log entry, Barry Allen. It has been three-hundred eleven days since the lighting struck…"

###

I sighed and put my phone back in my right hoodie pocket. I reached into the opposite pocket and retrieved my new gloves.

After the incident with Aquarius Cisco endlessly worked on a new pair of gloves that wouldn't burn my hands. These worked perfectly. My hands didn't even feel warm from the metal and he managed to slim down the overall thickness. It felt nice to properly bend my fingers with the gloves on.

Just as I slipped the gloves on wind rushed past my face. Barry looked down at me with his usual goofy smile.

"Hi, Evelyn," he greeted. His smile changed to a small frown when he noticed my eyes were still watery. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I lied. "I just stumbled a little when I was practicing a kick."

Barry clearly didn't believe me but he didn't press the issue. He handed me a cup of coffee and told me about how on his way back from Jitters a man tried to mug him. I genuinely laughed when Barry said he left the guy in the alley wearing nothing but his underwear next to a cop.

"Mr. Allen."

Barry and I faced the doorway to find Dr. Wells staring at us. The cross look on his face made me tense up. I looked at the clock above the doorway and saw that it was almost nine thirty.

 _Oh shit he was supposed to be here over half an hour ago!_ I realized. _No wonder Eobard is pissed._

Barry followed Dr. Wells out into the hall for a private lecture. My desire to be nosey wasn't strong enough to earn my own lecture so I went back to training. A few short minutes later Dr. Wells rode back into the room without Barry.

"So, how has training been this morning?" he inquired.

"Fine," I lied. "Nothing special or anything."

"You consider throwing a phone across the room like a child nothing special?" he asked casually.

 _God damn it. I guess I get a lecture after all._

"You need to find a better outlet for the feelings you keep bottling up or you will seriously injure someone if not yourself," Dr. Wells said in a serious voice.

I felt so angry inside I didn't have a doubt in my mind that my eyes were glowing.

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?" I asked bitterly. "I'm trapped in here for my own protection so _the man in yellow_ " –I waved my hands sarcastically.— "won't kidnap me again. I feel like I've been in here so long I'm getting cabin fever!"

"That's why Caitlin is on her way down to take you out into the city," Dr. Wells said as a matter of factly.

My anger shifted to heated confusion.

"…What?" I mumbled.

"Unfortunately a museum tour was the best I could manage due to Barry's…persistence in regards to your safety," he said in a low voice. He moved forwards as he spoke. "At first he insisted he go as well in order to protect you from the man in yellow but the police required his assistance in a homicide investigation."

"Oh…" I muttered.

"There is one condition."

 _Of course there is._

Dr. Wells reached into his pocket and handed me a small drawstring bag. I opened the bag and removed the black sunglasses inside.

"Since you cannot fully control when your eyes glow you will need to wear them at all times even while indoors," Dr. Wells instructed.

I unfolded the sunglasses and tried them on. They fit surprisingly well and were pretty comfortable. Back home it had been a pain in the ass to find sunglasses that looked good on me let alone fit properly. Meanwhile Eobard managed to find the perfect pair that didn't make me look like a douche bag.

"Thank you," I said as I put the sunglasses back in the bag.

"You're welcome," Dr. Wells said with a nod. "Just bear in mind when you return from your outing with Caitlin you will go right back to training. You're going to try something a little different today."

"Different?" I asked curiously. "Like what?"

"Patience is a virtue."

 _Not right now it isn't._

When Caitlin arrived she led me to her car in the facility's garage. My heart raced as Caitlin drove away from S.T.A.R. Labs. Natural sunlight and fresh air never felt so amazing. The lab felt suffocating in comparison. The natural sunlight not only gave my powers energy but it sent waves of warmth throughout my body. I actually felt so warm I was glad I didn't have a heavier sweatshirt on.

As Caitlin drove she revealed the museum we were visiting was the one Captain Cold stole the Khandaq dynasty diamond from a couple weeks before I showed up. She thought it would be an educational trip in terms of learning about the city and seeing one of Barry's first major battle sites.

Touring the museum was pretty cool but at the same time I was kinda disappointed. Leonard Snart was my favorite villain in the show aside from Eobard. I knew I'd get the chance to meet him eventually though so I wasn't too broken up over it. After the tour Caitlin insisted that I pick out a souvenir from the gift shop near the entrance. As much as I wanted one I tried to politely refuse. She claimed I was speaking nonsense and practically dragged me inside.

The gift shop had pretty generic stuff for sale. I expected crazy prices on everything but most of what I saw actually had pretty reasonable price tags. As we browsed we overheard a group of young teens trying on various articles of clothing. The girl of the group grabbed a light grey hoodie bearing the museum's logo off a rack and put it on.

"Hey guys, check it out!" she said as she zipped up the oversized jacket. She put the hood up and posed with her fists on her narrow hips. "I'm the Silver Hood!"

One of the boys scoffed at her.

"She's as real as the Streak," he said.

The girl made a sour face as she called her friend several nasty names. She took the hoodie off and sloppily put it back with the others before they continued bickering outside the gift shop. I tied the hoodie I had around my waist before I tried on the one she had.

 _Wow, this is actually pretty comfy,_ I realized. _The lining is soooo soft._

"That's a pretty good fit," Caitlin complimented with a bemused smile.

"Maybe if I wear it I can be like the Silver Hood too," I joked.

I put the hood up and struck a pose like the one the girl did. Caitlin covered her mouth as she struggled to suppress her laughter. I reminisced about the origin of my other superhero nickname as Caitlin paid for the jacket and a book for herself.

When I helped Barry take down Aquarius apparently someone had been hiding close enough to take a shitty picture with their cell phone. In the shot I was mid-jump as I made the shield that entrapped me with Aquarius. Since it had been a motion shot the details in my costume were pretty blurry but the picture clearly depicted the color. That was how Iris came up with my nickname when one of her fans sent the picture as well as a mostly accurate description of the fight. Thanks to Iris's source the article made me sound like more of a badass than I really was. She made it sound like I heroically took down Aquarius without a single injury.

Barry was less than pleased that I got more of the spotlight than him in her blog but that hadn't been the main thing that bothered him. He was upset that Iris exposed someone with my abilities helping him when I was supposed to be evading capture. Barry was so upset he made Dr. Wells and I swear that I would take a long period of absence from helping him fight crime if I ever helped again. Originally he didn't want my help at all but Eobard talked him down to a period of absence.

I held true to that promise even when Tony Woodward made his appearance last week. To be honest I was pretty thankful I mostly sat that one out. Nothing veered from the timeline so I didn't really need to intervene. I did give Eobard a heart attack when I didn't warn him that Barry would nearly get killed trying to face Tony before he knew the method to disrupt his metal armor. He held that one against me for a few days but eventually got over it.

"I'm glad you had a great time at the museum," Caitlin said, breaking me from my daydream when we got outside.

"It was a lot of fun," I said honestly. "Thank you for taking me and for the hoodie. It's really cozy in here."

Caitlin quietly giggled. "So, I was thinking we should grab some early lunch before we head back. Is there anything in particular you'd like to try?"

"User's choice. You picked a good outing so I'm sure you'll pick a good place to eat that isn't Big Belly Burger or Jitters."

Caitlin thought in silence. A brief look of seriousness crossed her before her cheerful smile returned.

"I know where we're going. It's on the way back to S.T.A.R. Labs."

"Cool. What kind of food do they have?"

"Indian food."

 _FUCK YES!_ I thought excitedly. _I can't even remember the last time I had Indian food since John doesn't like it!_

Caitlin was pretty quiet on the way to the restaurant. That was pretty unusual since she was usually pretty talkative. Halfway through the ride I realized why she was being so quiet. When Caitlin first started dating Ronnie he introduced her to Indian food.

 _She probably hasn't had Indian food since he died…_ I realized. _…and now she's taking me to an Indian restaurant. Aww…I feel so loved. I can't believe she's doing this for me. Caitlin is such a sweetheart._

Despite the fact that I had been in this world for over two weeks sometimes it still felt odd to refer to everyone by their real names instead of their actors' names. Then I would see Barry speed into the lab in his suit or Eobard's eyes would glow red whenever he got mad at me. Those were the times I remembered my place in this world and carried on as the amnesiac on the run from the mysterious man in yellow.

###

Barry patiently waited as Cisco uploaded the crime scene photos to the lab's primary computer. As they waited for the files to transfer Barry began to think about Evelyn and Caitlin. A few minutes ago he received a text from Caitlin saying Evelyn had a great time at the museum and the two women were going to have an early lunch before they returned to the lab. Barry reminded Caitlin that she was only supposed to take Evelyn to the museum then come straight back. Caitlin sent a quick text that she was about to drive and had to leave. After that he got no more responses.

"Hey, man, you okay?" Cisco asked as he unplugged the camera.

"I don't understand why Caitlin didn't stick to the plan," Barry vented. He took the camera back from Cisco and set it aside. "She even promised Dr. Wells just the museum and nothing else. What is she thinking?"

"Barry, you're my bro and all but I gotta tell ya…" Cisco began, facing his friend. "…I think you're being a tad overprotective."

"No I'm not," Barry argued defensively. "Something could happen to them if they're gone for too long."

"Barry, you've gotta loosen up a little," Cisco advised. He popped a piece of candy in his mouth and typed a few things into the computer. "She's been stuck in the lab for over two weeks and the majority of her diet has been Big Belly Burger, Jitters, or Chinese take-out. She deserves to have a little variety in her diet. Besides, _Prism_ can handle herself if she needs to make a quick getaway with Caitlin."

Barry rolled his eyes at Cisco's emphasized use of Evelyn's superhero name. Evelyn loved being called the Silver Hood but Cisco hated the nickname due to the fact that it included a color. He felt that names with colors were unbearably tacky. Cisco refused to acknowledge her as the Silver Hood and instead opted for Prism. Just to mess with him Evelyn made a point to call herself the Silver Hood when talking to Cisco and Prism when she spoke to anyone else. Cisco feigned irritation but always gave her a friendly smile to show that he was just joking. For the most part, at least.

"Looks like we got a match on your victim," Cisco announced when a profile appeared on the screen. "Casey Donahue. No wife or kids. He used to work at the Petersburg electrical substation."

Another alert with flashing red machinery appeared over the profile.

"Which apparently is experiencing a power drainage right now," Cisco continued.

Cisco ate another piece of candy as Barry grabbed his suit and left. Donned in red Barry ran full pelt through the city streets to the substation. He came to a halt when he discovered a man in ratty clothes standing by one of the machines.

"I'm pretty sure this is a restricted area," Barry said loudly to get his attention.

The dark skinned man slowly turned towards Barry. Electricity danced around the tips of his fingers.

"I…have to feed…" he growled.

###

The overpowering scent of spices surrounded me before Caitlin could fully open the door. The décor inside the restaurant—called Sridhar's Indian Buffet—had pretty generic booths and tables. The wallpaper was absolutely gorgeous though. Faux windows with pointed archways depicted various landscape shots of India flawlessly. In the middle of the crowded restaurant there were four islands lined with various different types of food.

 _Damn, Ronnie picked a good place to take her before he died,_ I thought as I continued to look around. _Well, he's not dead but still…Caitlin doesn't know that yet._

"Caitlin?" a thickly accented voice said with surprise.

Caitlin and I faced the host counter to find an Indian girl a few years younger than us staring with a shocked yet happy smile. She dropped whatever she was doing and came around the stand to greet Caitlin with a giant hug. Caitlin easily reciprocated the gesture.

"I haven't seen you in months!" she exclaimed when she finally let Caitlin go. "How have you been?"

"I've been well, thank you," Caitlin responded with a smile. She then briefly faced me. "This is my friend Evelyn. Evelyn, this is Radhika. Her grandparents own the restaurant."

Radhika eagerly shook my hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said sincerely. "Please have a seat anywhere you like and I will take your drink orders shortly."

"Thank you, Radhika," Caitlin and I said in unison.

Caitlin led me into the main dining area. She looked towards the front of the restaurant by the windows. An empty booth caught her eye and she brought me to it. Radhika quickly came over to us after seating a small group that walked in behind us and took our drink orders as she made small talk with Caitlin.

"So, are you still working at S.T.A.R. Labs?" Radhika asked as she put her notepad away.

"Yes, I am," Caitlin answered with a curt nod.

Radhika smiled at the young doctor.

"I am glad. You always talked about how you love your job there." Then she turned to me. "Is that how you two met?"

"Yeah, it is," I partially lied. "I just moved here from Starling City and ended up getting a job at S.T.A.R. Labs as a secretary."

"The workload was getting to be a little too much for Cisco and I to handle," Caitlin added.

 _Damn…not bad, Caitlin. That actually sounded believable._

When Radhika left to get the drinks Caitlin and I stood to get our plates of food. We each grabbed a plate and Caitlin walked me around each row of food. She waited to grab food until she finished summarizing each dish to me. Even before she explained that dishes I knew what I was going to get. I helped myself to heaping portions of goat curry, rice, and a small side of naan bread. Caitlin's main entre was chicken tikka masala and she had small portions of four different sides I couldn't remember the names of.

That first bite of food was incredible. The spices in the curry were so vibrant yet not overpowering. The goat meat chunks practically fell apart they were so tender. It was the best goat curry I'd ever had.

 _It's even better than that one place I went to…with…him…_

I tried not to make a bitter face as the sour memories resurfaced. I shoved those thoughts to the back of my head and brought my focus back to Caitlin. She smiled as she ate but in between every bite I could tell she was thinking about Ronnie. I contemplated asking her about him but I didn't want to go bluntly prodding that area as early as Barry had when he first met Caitlin. Instead I asked her how she got her job at S.T.A.R. Labs. I knew if I brought that up she'd be bound to bring him up on her own.

After Caitlin became a successful neurosurgeon Dr. Wells reached out to her with a generous job offer. Shortly after she started working she met Hartley Rathaway. At that point in her story Caitlin went off on a little tangent about how much of an asshole he was. She had tried being nice to him but eventually stopped trying after she realized how narcissistic and obnoxious he was. Hearing her curse for the first time was great. The fact that she cursed because of Hartley was even better.

The conversation then shifted to the guy I really wanted to hear about. After a particularly nasty argument with "the Chosen One" Ronnie came to Caitlin's defense and put Hartley in his place. With a fond smile she told me about how Hartley had been one comment away from getting a punch in the face. From there Caitlin and Ronnie began to talk every day during their breaks and a week later he asked her out on a date.

"This was where he took me," Caitlin revealed. "At first I was hesitant because I'd never had Indian food before. I usually just cooked myself the same few dishes or ate at the same restaurants and ordered the same thing every time I went. Whenever Ronnie took me out to dinner we always did something different. We always made a point to come here at least every other week though. That's how we met Radhika. She actually served us the night before Ronnie proposed to me."

"That's so sweet," I commented with a smile. "Where did he propose to you?"

"We were at—"

The ring tone from Caitlin's cell cut her off. She pulled the gadget from her purse and checked the screen. Her eyes widened in horror. I hadn't seen her look that scared since Barry nearly killed himself attacking Tony Woodward after he showed up at Jitters to hit on Iris.

"We need to go," Caitlin announced. She sloppily threw her phone back in her bag and practically leaped from her seat. I quickly took a couple gulps of my soda before I followed her.

Caitlin practically threw money at Radhika as she said something about an emergency. I hastily said goodbye to a very confused yet concerned Radhika before I ran outside after Caitlin. I could barely keep up with the young doctor as we rushed out to her car.

"What's going on?" I asked her. "Did something happen at the lab?"

"Barry encountered a metahuman that can control electricity," she quickly explained as she peeled out of the parking lot.

 _Uh oh…_

"Barry isn't injured badly but…his speed is gone," Caitlin continued in a choked voice.

 _Oh FUCK! How did I forget about Blackout?! Eobard is going to be PISSED!_

###

Barry's head hung low with depression as Cisco and Caitlin walked him out of the treadmill room. Seeing Barry like that really got to me. I knew he'd get his powers back soon but he didn't know that. He truly thought he'd never be the Flash again.

"I need to check something," Dr. Wells said to me as soon as we were alone. "Go to the training room for now. I will meet you there."

Dread filled me as I steadily made my way downstairs. No doubt Eobard was about to check the newspaper in the time vault and find that the future was different. The moment I entered the training room I felt disoriented. Before I knew it I was pinned against a wall with my hands at my sides. Glowing red eyes glowered at me as my mind struggled to process what had happened to me.

"Did you know this would happen?!" Eobard shouted. His vocal cords vibrated as he shouted at me. He leaned in closer before he shouted again. "Did you?!"

"I-I didn't know it was going to happen this soon!" I stammered in fright. "He'll get his powers back, I swear! It's all part of the timeline where I'm from!"

For a moment I wasn't sure if Eobard believed me. The glow in his eyes faded and he let my throbbing wrists go. He took a step back, took in a deep breath, and ran a hand through his hair.

"How does he get his powers back?" Eobard asked, straining to keep his tone calm.

At first I hesitated to answer him. With the other metahumans I never revealed details about the future. Eobard and I both knew how dangerous revealing future details could be. I didn't want to be rough housed again but I also didn't want to permanently fuck something up.

"Eobard, I'm sorry but you know I can't tell you that," I said carefully. "What happened with Bette was fixable. What happens to Barry if I say anything might not be."

Eobard ground his teeth as he leered at me. Finally he sighed.

"You're right," he admitted. "If keeping this information from me will keep the timeline intact then so be it."

 _Wait, what?_

"Uh…that's it?" I asked.

"What else did you expect exactly?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"I dunno…more threats I guess."

"If Barry does not regain his speed you will receive more than just threats."

 _In other words a hand through the chest like with Cisco._

"Speaking of Barry is he still here?" I asked.

"No. He left for the police station to inform Detective West of what happened."

"Oh…okay."

I couldn't hide the disdain in my voice after Eobard mentioned Joe. I knew Joe was a genuinely nice guy and all but I despised the police for many personal reasons.

"What do you have against the police?" Eobard asked, sensing my bitterness.

"It's a long list," I replied dismissively.

"Evelyn, you need to express your feelings if you want complete control over your powers," Eobard lectured. "I don't want to continue repeating myself."

"Why exactly should I express myself to someone that doesn't give two shits about me?" I asked, struggling to not sound bitter. "I know my place, Eobard. To you I'm just the pawn you keep around in your back pocket to keep the timeline intact. As far as I can tell I have no reason to trust you."

"Do you really want a reason?" Eobard asked me as he crossed his arms.

"Yeah, I do," I challenged.

"If you can ensure that Barry gets his speed back I will take you to my time vault and show you a reason."

My fangirl side overwhelmed my distrust instantly.

"Seriously?" I asked him.

Eobard nodded. "Yes."

The prospect of seeing the time vault gave me a burst of energy and swelling confidence. At the same time I felt the need to be extremely cautious. During my time here Eobard eventually found out that I knew about the time vault and Gideon but never offered to show me. It made me wonder what changed his mind.

"So, uh…what now?" I asked him, unsure what to do.

"For now we are going to continue your training," Eobard replied. "I have to get my wheelchair from the time vault. I will return in a moment."

Eobard sped away leaving me alone in the training room. I looked around the empty room as I imagined myself standing in the time vault. In my head I saw every detail of the yellow and black suit on the display mannequin. The thought of possibly touching the black and red lightning bolt on the suit made me weak in the knees.

 _I have to see that thing up close,_ I thought with determination _. And get Barry's powers back too. That would help._

###

Barry stared at the floor with his mouth hanging open. Fragments of shattered red ceramic littered the floor next to his computer desk. Joe West, who purposely threw the mug onto the floor, stared down at the broken pieces as well.

"…You didn't catch it," Joe finally said after his stunned silence.

"I _loved_ that mug!" Barry practically shouted. "And what part of _a metahuman stole my speed_ did you not understand?!"

"Barry, you know I don't understand half the things you do," Joe defended weakly. "So what does Wells have to say?"

"He's working on it," Barry replied half-heartedly.

Joe's expression briefly became one of panic before he contained himself.

"Barry, you need to get your speed back," he said. "The people of this city need protecting."

"I know they do Joe but what if I can't get my powers back?" Barry asked in a lower voice. "The only other meta that isn't committing crimes is Evelyn and she can barely defend herself! What if the man in yellow uses this chance to take her when he finds out my powers are gone?"

"You can't be worrying about her right now," Joe insisted. "Right now you need to focus on getting your speed back."

Barry frowned but nodded in agreement. In the end he knew Joe was right. As worried about Evelyn as he felt he knew he needed to do whatever he could to get his speed back. Without his powers he'd have no way to defend anyone in the city. He refused to allow the man in yellow to take anyone else from him.

###

I panted heavily as my arms fell down to my sides. I wiped my forehead with my shoulder before I looked back up at my targets. The mats on the wall were completely destroyed and the wall itself had numerous dents of varying size. If the wall had been a weaker material it would have undoubtedly collapsed. Meanwhile only one of the four mannequins had minor damage. The other three were completely intact.

Dr. Wells buried his face in his hands and shook his head.

"Again…" he said with frustration.

I held back a sigh as I readied myself. I held out my right hand and concentrated. Energy appeared in the palm of my hand. Once the energy grew to roughly the size of a baseball I pulled my hand back then thrust it forward. The energy flew forward, drastically curved to the left, and totally missed the mannequin I had been aiming at. Instead I put yet another dent into the wall.

Dr. Wells just stared at the wall and shook his head in disbelief.

"Just go change and recuperate," he said. "I need to think of a better way for you to direct your energy blasts."

I sighed in defeat. "Fine…"

I took my gloves off and didn't say anything else as I left the training room. As usual no matter what I did I failed at the basics of using my powers. I slowly trudged down the hall to my room to freshen up. As I got a new set of clothes together the lights flickered for a few seconds. At first I didn't think anything of it. When the flickering lights began to dim I remembered Farooq was supposed to show up at S.T.A.R. Labs the same day Barry lost his speed.

 _No…_ I thought fearfully _. He's already here!_

I practically threw my clothes on the floor and bolted out the hall. Adrenaline pushed my worn out body to the emergency stairs at the end of the hall and then up to the cortex level.

 _God, his timing couldn't be any fucking worse!_ I thought as I forced myself onwards _. Barry doesn't have his speed and I'm almost out of energy! This is NOT going to go well if I have to get involved again!_

The power went out completely before I made it two floors up. I tried to keep going despite the fact that my eyes hadn't even remotely adjusted to the darkness. When I slipped on a step and slammed my shins on the stairs I realized that had been a huge mistake.

"Damn it!" I cursed as I struggled to stand. "I don't have time to be stumbling around in the dark!"

I reached for my pockets when my eyes widened. I was wearing pants without pockets and my gloves were nowhere to be found. I realized I must have thrown them on the floor with the rest of my clothes when I rushed out of my room.

"Sure, why not?" I scolded myself as I felt my way through the dark. "What else can go wrong?"

My eyes slowly adjusted to the dark. Eventually I was able to pick up the pace and made it to the cortex level. As I made it to the main hallway the ground violently shook beneath me.

 _Aw, what the fuck was that?!_ I asked myself.

Thankfully the emergency lights finally kicked on so I didn't have to worry about tripping over myself in the dark again. I rushed into the cortex and everyone turned to me with horrified looks on their faces. They relaxed when they realized it was just me.

"Oh it's just you," Cisco sighed with relief. "I didn't think Farooq got here that fast."

"What's going on?" I asked the group between breaths. "I ran up as soon as the lights started going out."

"The metahuman that took Barry's powers is here in the facility," Caitlin explained quickly. "He broke in when we wouldn't let him in to _talk_ —" Caitlin made air quotes with her fingers. "—with Dr. Wells."

"I guess that's what that shaking was..." I muttered.

"...Evelyn, where are your gloves?" Dr. Wells asked in a worried voice.

Caitlin and Cisco both looked down at my bare hands. None of them were very happy when they realized I didn't have them.

"They're...in my room...on the floor..." I told them, avoiding any eye contact.

When I finally looked up Dr. Wells sent me the scariest glare I'd seen from him so far.

"Evelyn, there is a dangerous metahuman loose in this facility and Barry does not have his powers," Dr. Wells reminded me through gritted teeth. "What were you thinking?!"

"I-I was just trying to get up here faster so I could help and-" I stammered.

"Leaving behind the only thing that gives you the slightest bit of control of your powers is _not_ helping!" Dr. Wells shouted at me. "Now there is no time to retrieve them!"

The grip on the arms of his wheelchair tightened so much his knuckles turned white. For a split second I thought Eobard was about to leap out of his wheelchair and strangle me in front of everyone.

Barry rejoined the rest of us from one of the side rooms with his cell phone in hand. He looked even more concerned than the others.

"Joe and Iris are in trouble," Barry said. "I need my powers back _now_!"

Dr. Wells glared at me one last time before he faced Barry.

"I have a theory...it's untested," Dr. Wells said with emphasis on "untested".

"I'm willing to take the risk," Barry declared, eager to hear his idea.

"Your cells have not changed on a subatomic level so in theory they are still primed for a jumpstart," Dr. Wells explained.

"How do we do that?" Barry asked.

"We will need to replicate the initial jolt to your system," Dr. Wells responded.

"But that would mean a peak current of _at least twenty-thousand kilo-amps_!" Cisco exclaimed.

"Are you insane?!" Caitlin cried as she looked to Dr. Wells. "That's more electricity than people get in the electric chair!"

"With Farooq in the building and no efficient way to defend ourselves we are all looking at a death sentence now." Dr. Wells made a point to give me another angry stare.

Cisco suggested they reboot the backup generator and use the cosmic treadmill to redirect the electricity. Caitlin tried to argue that Barry's body may not survive the attempt to jumpstart his super speed. As the trio bickered Barry attempted to leave the cortex. Everyone else was too busy to notice so I stepped in Barry's way.

"And where do you think you're going?" I asked loudly. That got everyone's attention.

"I'm going to talk to him," Barry answered.

I rubbed my forehead with a look of frustration.

"Barry, I know you try to see the good in everybody but you're not going to be able to get through to him," I said in a desperate attempt to stop him.

"You don't know that," Barry argued. "You didn't see him at the substation. He _needed_ to feed. I may have gotten super speed from the particle accelerator explosion but he woke up with a disease surrounded by his dead friends!"

"And if the wrong thing is said to him we'll all end up dead too!" I shouted fervently as I pointed around the room. "He's already murdered someone once today! Do you _really_ think he's here to _talk_ to Dr. Wells?!"

Barry was speechless at my unexpected outburst. Nonetheless he ignored my pleas and simply walked around me. My hands tightened into fists as pure rage seeped through me.

 _What the fuck is wrong with him?!_ I angrily asked myself. _God! I forgot how INFURIATING he was in the beginning!_

"Evelyn…" Dr. Wells said in a quiet voice. "I need you to _calmly_ look down at your hands."

I couldn't calm myself down but I looked down at my hands anyway. For a moment I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Both of my hands were glowing without the use of my gloves. The phenomenon quelled my rage and the glow faded away.

"…That was interesting," I said, unsure of what else to say.

"We can discuss it later," Dr. Wells said as he motioned for us all to follow Barry.

We headed in the same direction Barry had gone. When we finally caught up to him he was about to walk through a doorway near the hall where Farooq broke in. Dr. Wells and the rest of us barely got out of sight when Farooq turned the corner. I heard electricity crackle in the air when he saw Barry.

"Whoa, whoa! Easy!" Barry cried, throwing both hands up in surrender. "I'm not going to hurt you!"

"No one can hurt me," Farooq declared. "Where is Harrison Wells?"

"Look, I know what happened to you the night of the accelerator explosion," Barry began, not moving from his spot. "It changed me too. It gave me super speed."

"You…" Farooq uttered in realization. "You were the one in the red suit. I fed from you."

"I know everything that's happened to you has been terrifying," Barry continued. "I'm here to help you."

"Help me?" Farooq retorted. "When Jake and Daria tried to help me I electrocuted them! All they did was try to give me CPR! What can you possibly do to help me?!"

"Farooq, I—"

"Harrison Wells did this to me and now he's going to suffer like I did!"

I reacted without thinking it through. I emerged from my hiding spot as I raised both hands above my head. I darted to Barry's side and brought my hands down in front of him. I managed to form a small shield in front of him just before the lightning shot forward. My efforts weren't enough. My shield gave out and the bolt struck Barry in the shoulder anyway. As Barry flew backwards Farooq turned his attention to me. Before he had the chance to attack me too Cisco used the control panel on the wall to shut the door and lock it.

"Not sure how long that will hold," Cisco informed us as Caitlin hurried to help Barry up.

"Done being noble, Mr. Allen?" Dr. Wells asked even though he already knew the answer. Barry nodded weakly. "Caitlin, get Barry to the treadmill. Cisco, reboot the generator. Evelyn, come with me."

I knew the moment was coming but I expected him to tell me to go with Barry and Caitlin or at least with Cisco. I didn't think he'd have me go with him to the pipeline.

"Where are you two going?" Cisco asked as I joined Dr. Wells.

"I said _go_!" Dr. Wells shouted.

That made the three of them scurry down the hallway. As for Dr. Wells and I we headed towards the pipeline.

"Why am I with you, anyway?" I asked him. "It's not like you need me to protect you."

"Unfortunately you may need to," Eobard replied. "I need to reserve what little energy I have left in case Barry does not get his powers back."

"He will," I assured Eobard. "The time of day may have accelerated but everything has generally been the same."

"Let us hope the timeline remains that way…"

When Eobard and I turned the corner into the pipeline hall he stood from his chair and approached the shut door. He shoved the tips of his fingers in between the two doors and easily pushed it open.

Seeing Tony in his cell made me realize a few things. He looked way more intimidating in person than on TV. I also realized this was my first time in the pipeline. Before now I just kind of saw security footage. The cells were also a lot bigger and more humane than in the show. Tony had a thin mattress on the floor so I assumed the other metas did too. He also had a small toilet and sink setup like a real prison cell.

"Come to check on your pet?" Tony asked angrily. "Are you finally going to kill me?"

"Are you familiar with the phrase quid pro quo?" Eobard asked, taking a step forward. "It's Latin. Have you ever heard of Latin, Mr. Woodward? It translates to something for something. In this case that something is your freedom."

"Really?" Tony asked in a doubtful tone.

"Really," Eobard answered.

"How do you know I won't just kill you?" Tony asked. He crossed his muscular arms across his broad chest.

"It's a calculated risk I'm willing to take," Eobard replied simply. "There's a metahuman loose in this facility and I want you to kill him."

"Why should I?" Tony asked, glaring at Eobard. "You're just going to put me back in this jail cell. Forget it. It's not worth the effort."

"What would make the risk worth it to you?" Eobard asked him.

Tony looked past Eobard directly at me. I resisted the urge to fidget as I became slightly uneasy.

"Some alone time with you would be worth it," Tony said as he continued to look me up and down. "It gets lonely in here."

"You can have your time with her after you kill the metahuman," Eobard stated. "Just make sure she's able to walk afterwards."

"I'll do my best to keep her in one piece but I can't make any promises," he said with a smile.

Eobard stepped towards the control panel on the wall. He pressed his hand against the touchscreen and Tony's door swung open. Tony boldly walked out of his cell. He briefly made eye contact with Eobard before he approached me. Tony reached one hand around me and roughly slapped my ass. My entire body tensed up as I forced back a disgusted squeak. He took his time removing his hand as Eobard directed him on where to find Farooq. Once Tony was finally out of our sight I faced Eobard.

"If he comes near me I'm blasting his dick off," I declared.

Eobard rolled his eyes. "You may have dented the wall but even Barry could barely neutralize his armor. Besides, I would just snap his neck if he actually attempted…to..."

Eobard never left a sentence unfinished. The look on his face put me on edge.

"What?" I asked him.

"Your nose is bleeding again," Eobard informed me. He brought one sleeve up to his mouth and ripped off the end with his teeth. "Tilt your head forward and pinch your nose with this until it stops."

Eobard gently placed the soft fabric over my nose. I accidentally brushed against his fingers when I reached up to hold the makeshift tissue in his place. I felt a small static shock when our fingers touched but it wasn't strong enough to make me flinch. I looked into Eobard's blue eyes and quickly looked down at the floor as my face turned even more red.

"Thanks…" I grumbled.

Eobard sat back down in his wheelchair. "Let's go. Tony should have cleared the way by now."

###

Caitlin's scream echoed as Barry shot across the room into a wall. He slumped over on his side barely conscious. Caitlin quickly shut off the switch on the wall and checked on her dear friend. She helped him sit up as he became more coherent.

"Are you okay?" she asked with tears filling her eyes. "Did you feel anything?"

Barry lifted his right hand. It vibrated for a second or two but then the vibration stopped. He shook his head in dismay.

"It didn't work," he said.

"I need to take your blood to figure out what happened," Caitlin said as she helped him to his feet.

Barry and Caitlin stumbled into the hall as a loud metallic thud sounded nearby. They faced the source of the noise. Tony's metal armor changed back into his normal skin as he struggled to push himself up. When he slumped back onto the ground Barry pushed Caitlin away so he could get to Tony.

"Tony, what happened?" Barry asked in distress.

Tony looked up at Barry. Blood flowed from his mouth as he put on a cocky smile.

"You know me, Allen," Tony said weakly. "I never run from a fight."

Tony eyes fluttered shut as he lay his head on the bloody floor. Barry shook his shoulder in an attempt to rouse him.

"Tony, stay with me!" Barry cried desperately. "Don't do this! Come on, Tony!"

Tony struggled to open his eyes one last time. His gaze remained fixed on the wall as he had no strength left to lift his head.

"Run…" he whispered.

The last breath left his body and Tony remained motionless. Barry stared down at Tony with tears in his eyes. Despite their history Barry couldn't stand when someone died in front of him. He looked down at his hands and saw Tony's blood smeared across each palm.

"Barry!"

Caitlin barely managed to pull her distraught friend away from Tony's body as electricity whizzed by. Farooq was several yards away but closing in fast. Caitlin practically dragged Barry through the halls. They took several random turns and changed floors until they were sure Farooq lost them. Caitlin took Barry into one of the smaller exam rooms and eased him into a chair. Barry grunted in pain as he slouched backwards to let the doctor examine his wound.

"I'm not healing fast anymore, am I?" Barry asked her. Caitlin shook her head. "That's unfortunate…"

As Caitlin scurried to get a sample of Barry's blood Cisco managed to find them. Barry heard Cisco make some kind of comment but he wasn't fully paying attention. His mind went back to Tony's corpse undoubtedly still warm and completely alone in the hallway.

"I can't believe he's dead…" Barry uttered.

A look of panic overcame Cisco.

"Dr. Wells is dead?!" Cisco asked loudly.

"No, no! Tony Woodward!" Barry corrected. "He must have escaped the pipeline when the blackout hit."

"That's not possible," Cisco said confidently. "The pipeline was designed to withstand a power outage. Someone had to have let him go."

"I released him."

Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin all turned to the doorway. Dr. Wells entered the room followed by Evelyn. She had some kind of black cloth held against her blood smeared nose but otherwise appeared okay.

"I released Mr. Woodward to divert our intruder's attention while we worked to restore your speed," Dr. Wells explained. "I had Evelyn come with me in case I needed protection from him or Farooq."

Barry couldn't believe what he just heard. He never expected that sort of answer from Dr. Wells of all people.

"Tony was just a distraction?" he asked in disbelief.

"An unnecessary one, as it turns out," Dr. Wells commented, noting that Barry was still injured from his first encounter with Farooq. "You are not healing fast so you clearly do not have your speed back."

Barry looked down at his bloody hands. "I have Tony's blood on me…" He looked back at Dr. Wells. "How could you do that?! He didn't deserve to die!"

"And what about all of us?" Dr. Wells snapped, finally losing his patience. "Do we deserve to die? I had to make a difficult choice, Barry. It was either him or us and I chose us without hesitation. Now, if you are done arguing I suggest we leave before we are discovered."

"We might be able to make it to the garage if we leave now," Cisco announced. "We can take the mobile lab van."

Without another word the group left the room and headed towards the garage. Caitlin brought the tablet processing Barry's blood sample. Halfway to the garage the results finally showed onscreen.

"Barry, your cells are rapidly regenerating!" Caitlin said as she held the tablet out to him.

Barry examined the tablet to confirm her statement. He held up his hand and it struggled to vibrate.

"Then why don't I have my speed?" Barry asked her.

"You must have a mental block that's keeping you from accessing your speed," Dr. Wells determined.

"I don't understand," Barry said, still staring at his hand.

Evelyn frowned before she decided to speak up.

"You're doubting yourself," she said to Barry. She became visibly uncomfortable when all eyes turned on her. "I feel the same way every time I train. I doubt myself because I keep comparing myself to you even though you've had your powers a lot longer than me. If I didn't doubt myself so much I'd probably have better control over my powers by now. We can't afford to be doubting ourselves when the people of this city need us the most."

"Evelyn is right, Barry," Caitlin added. "I…we believe you were struck by lightning for a reason. If we believe in you then you should believe in yourself."

###

The rest of the hurried walk to the garage was quiet but tense. I glanced over at Barry and saw something still seemed off with him. I hoped that everything would go as the episode dictated. If not I was too weak to help.

 _You can do this, Barry,_ I encouraged mentally.

Cisco instructed Barry to run ahead to the second van from where we were since the keys were already in the glovebox. Cisco, Caitlin, and I kept a protective circle around Dr. Wells when Barry ran ahead. He used the remote to open the garage door then started the van. The bulky vehicle roared to life immediately died along with Dr. Wells's wheelchair and the garage door. Knowing what those signs meant I immediately checked my six.

Farooq had quietly entered the garage behind us.

"Trying to run away, Wells?" he taunted. Bolts of electricity crackled in his hands.

"I wasn't exactly eager to be killed," Dr. Wells retorted. He manually turned his wheelchair to face Farooq.

"Neither were my friends!" Farooq shouted. The electricity in his hands grew brighter as his anger festered. "I bet you don't even know their names! Or the names of anyone else that died that night!"

Dr. Wells named off several people starting with Farooq's friends. When he listed Ronnie he guiltily looked away from Caitlin.

"Their deaths are something I have to live with for the rest of my life," Dr. Wells went on. "Now none of us will know of the potential those people possessed. But these people here with me have so much to live for. Please punish me and let them live."

Farooq gritted his teeth.

"All of you will suffer the way Jake and Darya did!" he screamed.

Lightning struck Dr. Wells in the chest faster than I could blink. The blast knocked him from his wheelchair and the rest of us froze with fear. As Farooq readied his next attack yellow lightning shot across the room and brought me, Cisco, Caitlin, and Dr. Wells to safety. When I looked up Barry proudly stood in his red suit.

Farooq attempted to hit Barry with lightning but he was too fast. For a few seconds the yellow lightning behind Barry flickered weakly. His speed became hindered just long enough for Farooq to latch onto the speed force once again. I watched as I waited for Barry's speed to overpower Farooq's ability to feed on electricity. Panic arose when Barry fell to his knees and his electricity continued to be consumed.

"Something's wrong," I realized. "Farooq is taking his powers again!"

"No…" Cisco uttered.

Then I heard a voice. It called to me from the recesses of my mind.

 _Save the speedster._

In the heat of the moment I chose not to question it. I got to my feet and ran forward. I heard the voice again this time over the desperate cries of Caitlin and Cisco.

 _Unleash your bitterness and sorrow. Let it flow from your hands and strike with righteous fury!_

Everything around me brightened. The once dark garage became clear as day to me. Emotions rushed through me as I pulled back my right hand. Anger. Frustration. Sadness. Every negative emotion I felt since the moment I became trapped in this world crashed down on me. I focused those emotions into a single ball of energy in the center of my palm. I let out a furious battle cry as I hurled the energy straight at Farooq.

###

Eobard watched in amazement as the blast hit Farooq square in the chest. The energy crushed his torso upon impact and the crumpled body flew into the half open garage door several yards away. Bones crunched and splintered as the body became wedged into the now broken metal door. No doubt his internal organs suffered severe damage as well.

 _To think she had such power hidden away…_ Eobard thought _. This is quite the discovery._

Evelyn panted heavily as she lowered her offensive hand. The glow in her eyes disappeared and she approached Barry who was still recovering on the floor.

"Are you all right?" she asked him. She held out a helping hand.

Barry nodded and got to his feet with minimal help from Evelyn.

"I can't believe you did that without your gloves," Barry complimented.

The look on Evelyn's face clearly expressed that she completely forgot about her gloves. She looked down at her hands with a sense of awe.

"Huh…I guess I did," she said, still staring at her hands.

Evelyn's eyes fluttered as she began to lose her balance. Barry moved to catch her but she pushed him away.

"I'm fine," she insisted. She looked past Barry at the garage door. "I just…need some sunlight."

Evelyn wobbled towards the garage door. Barry grew worried so he trailed behind. When they reached the garage door Evelyn paused to examine Farooq's body. Several bones broke through his dark skin and his skull undoubtedly caved in at the back. Evelyn struggled to turn away before she and Barry crouched under the broken door.

###

Orange sunlight spread across the city as the sun lowered to make way for the evening. I stopped walking once I was in the middle of the wide driveway. Barry remained near the building. I stared at the city skyline off in the distance. My mind struggled to process the fact that I just ended another life. I felt myself on the verge of breaking down when I heard the voice from before whisper to me again.

 _Look to the sun._

I obeyed and stared directly into the setting sun. Somehow my eyes felt no pain. I didn't even need to squint.

 _Take its energy. Make it your own._

As I raised my hands I felt a warm surge. It felt vastly different than the sensations in Cisco's customized bed. I felt the sunlight enter my body, changing in my core, and spread through me. Everything around me suddenly became brighter. I had no doubt that my entire body glowed in addition to my eyes.

 _You now hold the power of the sun in your hands. Expand your gift and I will find you again._

The voice faded into nothing. Once again I was left alone with my thoughts. I lowered my hands and released my hold of the sun's energy.

"What did you just do?" Barry finally spoke up.

"I think I just gave myself a power charge," I said, still staring at the sun. I lifted one hand and without much effort willed it to glow. I watched my glowing fingers flex as I continued. "I don't know if I'm just in shock or what but I feel…different. I feel more connected to my powers than I ever have since I've been here."

 _And it's all thanks to whoever that voice was…_ I added in my head.

I heard Barry slowly approach me from behind. When I felt his hand on my shoulder I gently grabbed it with my own. That's when all of my emotions hit me again. I squeezed Barry's hand and began to sob. Barry walked around to my front and brought me into a comforting hug. I threw my arms around him and held him close.

"I just killed someone!" I cried into his chest. "I know I did it to protect you but I just fucking killed someone!"

Barry said nothing. He simply held me as I poured my heart and tears out.

"I want to go home!" I cried. I squeezed him even tighter. "My family must be worried sick if they even realized I'm gone! I don't even know if I'll ever see them again or if they're even still alive! All I want to do is go home but instead I'm trapped here!"

I don't know how long Barry and I stood there. I sobbed uncontrollably until no tears remained. My eyes burned with pain but the rest of my body felt numb. Once I calmed down enough Barry ran me to my room and tucked me into bed. Before he left he knelt beside my bed with a glass of water and a white pill. I recognized the pill from a procedure I had in the past but I couldn't remember what it was called.

"Take this," Barry said as he put both objects in my hands. "Caitlin gives them to me if I need to relax when I heal."

I took the pill with a sip of water then downed the rest of it. In reality I didn't need the water since the pill was so small. Even with the mental state I was in I still didn't want to be rude to Barry by not drinking any of the water he got for me.

"I'm only a phone call away if you need me," Barry assured, squeezing my hand.

I smiled at the speedster gratefully.

"Thank you, Barry."

###

Eobard frowned as he examined the copy of Barry's most recent blood test. As previously proven Barry did get his powers back. However, Eobard had hoped that his unorthodox method of returning Barry's speed would increase it somehow. Instead his powers struggled to manifest which led to Farooq leeching his powers for a final time.

The secret speedster turned his attention to the security footage of Evelyn. The medication Barry gave her from Caitlin's medicine cabinet tremendously helped her calm down. Evelyn remained in bed but her wide eyes showed no signs of fatigue despite her hardships.

Gideon's full body projection appeared in front of the live feed.

"Is everything all right, Dr. Wells?" Gideon asked. "You appear to be troubled by something."

Eobard shook his head and minimized Evelyn's footage.

"It's nothing," he said in a dismissive tone. "Have Cisco and Caitlin left S.T.A.R. Labs?"

"Yes, doctor," she replied robotically. "They have nearly reached their respective homes."

Eobard nodded. "In that case I will return shortly."

In a flash of crimson red Eobard left the time vault. He stopped a few feet away from Evelyn's door then walked the rest of the way. She was already sitting up with her legs over the side of her bed when Eobard entered the room.

"I didn't expect to see you," Evelyn said in a quiet voice.

"You kept Barry alive and his speed has returned so I am here to fulfill my end of the bargain," Eobard said informatively. "If you feel up to it."

For a moment Evelyn appeared unsure. Then she slowly stood and slipped on her shoes without putting on socks.

"Finally seeing your suit would be a nice pick me up," she said.

Once her shoes were properly adjusted Eobard picked her up and ran back upstairs. He stopped and set her down just outside the time vault. Evelyn stared at the open doorway in awe before she stepped through. Eobard followed her inside.

The young woman examined every detail of the surrounding walls with a sense of wonder. She slid her hand against the dome coated wall until she reached the mannequin that displayed Eobard's suit. She reached out to touch it but hesitated. Evelyn looked back at Eobard for permission. He smiled at her and nodded. Evelyn turned back to the suit and reached for it again. That time she didn't stop herself.

 _She looks like her head is about to explode,_ Eobard thought with amusement _. I think it's time to show her what I really brought her here for._

"If you're done fondling my suit there's something important I need to show you," he said.

Evelyn's face flushed pink as she pulled her hand away from the black and red lightning bolt. She followed Eobard to Gideon's podium.

"Gideon, show me the future," Eobard commanded.

"Of course," the A.I. responded.

The newspaper article appeared overtaking almost the entire wall. Eobard read those words so many times he memorized every period and every comma. Evelyn, on the other hand, stared in shock as she read the article aloud.

 **Reverse-Flash Dies In**

 **Epic Struggle**

 **After an incredible street battle with the Reverse-Flash our city's very own Scarlet Speedster disappeared in a flash of light. According to witnesses, The Flash, with help from Star City's Green Arrow, The Atom, and Hawkgirl began fighting the Reverse-Flash around midnight last night. When the Flash managed to gain the upper hand his enemy's longtime companion Prism, formerly known as the Silver Hood, intervened in the battle. However, her attack rebounded causing a fatal injury to herself and wounding the Reverse-Flash. Shortly afterwards a vortex of blue light consumed The Flash leaving no trace of him behind. The ensuing battle caused the sky to take on a deep crimson color and created the most destruction this city has seen since The Flash first arrived in Central City. Due to the severity of his preexisting injuries the Reverse-Flash was at last fatally wounded at the hands of Star City's finest heroes. Extensive repairs are underway across the entire city as the diligent search for The Flash's whereabouts continues.**

"That's…not right…at all…" Evelyn uttered. She turned to Eobard in panic. "What happened? I mean…how did the article change to this?"

"The night you came through the breach the future changed," he explained. "This was the result."

Evelyn looked back at the newspaper article and skimmed it again. She quickly glanced at the byline but said nothing. She showed no hint of surprise or concern.

 _Evidently in her timeline remained Iris West-Allen,_ Eobard observed.

"I knew I wasn't the best with my powers but fuck…" she said primarily to herself. "I didn't think I'd get myself killed…or kill you."

"Which is precisely why after a period of rest you need to focus on training and not help Barry unless absolutely necessary," Eobard said in a firm tone. "We need to work together if either of us are going to survive."

"Yeah…" Evelyn muttered, frowning.

"Before today I had serious doubts about you," Eobard said bluntly. "You may as well have not improved over the course of the last two weeks. Then I saw you defeat a metahuman with a single attack meanwhile Barry struggled against him. What's just as incredible if not more so is the fact that you were able to absorb natural sunlight without any assistance."

Evelyn avoided eye contact with Eobard almost as if she felt guilty. Being the super genius he was Eobard easily saw through her façade.

"You're not telling me something," he stated. "What is it?"

Evelyn bit her lower lip before she answered. The entire time she spoke her eyes remained fixed on the perfectly polished floor.

"During the fight when I realized something was wrong with Barry I…heard a voice," she admitted.

That hadn't been the answer Eobard expected.

"You…heard a voice?" he repeated.

Evelyn meekly nodded.

"Yeah," she replied. "He…it…told me what to do. How to focus my power without the gloves, absorb the sunlight, and…it told me to expand my gift then he would find me again."

Eobard's concern deepened immensely.

 _This isn't good,_ he thought. _This voice could be the one responsible for giving Evelyn her powers. If they were able to contact her without me knowing what else are they capable of?_

"Did this…person…give the impression that they wanted to harm you?" Eobard asked.

"No," Evelyn responded. "It didn't seem that way, at least."

"Still, we can't be too cautious," Eobard reminded her. Evelyn nodded in agreement. "Tell me if you begin to hear the voice again."

"I will," Evelyn promised.

"On another note, I have a question I've been meaning to ask you."

Evelyn looked at Eobard curiously.

"Really?" she asked. "What is it?

"I already know that Evelyn is your daughter's name but what is yours?" Eobard asked.

Evelyn appeared to hesitate before she responded.

"My name is Lauren," she answered.

"And your surname?" Eobard asked, folding his arms.

"It's Cavanagh."

Eobard raised an eyebrow at his protégé.

"Your last name really is Cavanagh?" he asked her.

"Yeah, it is," she replied sheepishly. "I guess being around you so much subconsciously helped me come up with it on the spot when Eiling was here."

"Why would my presence do such a thing?"

"I have the same last name as the guy that plays you. Well, not _you_ I mean the _Dr. Wells_ you."

"Really?" Eobard asked with mild curiosity. "Does that mean you've seen what I really look like?"

"Briefly but yes," Evelyn answered honestly.

"Interesting…" Eobard muttered. "Well then, now that both of our curiosities have been satisfied you need to get some rest."

Eobard walked towards Evelyn and scooped her up in his arms. She let out a sharp gasp as Eobard lifted her off the ground and then ran downstairs. He set her down mid-gasp next to her bed.

"Sleep as long as you need to," Eobard instructed. "I will bring you some Big Belly Burger when you wake up." Evelyn looked like she wanted to speak but held back her comments. "What is it?"

"…It's nothing," she lied. She forced a smile at her mentor. "I'm looking forward to the food in the morning. I'm sure I'll need it. Good night, Eobard."

"Good night, Lauren."

Eobard barely kept himself from rolling his eyes when he saw the look briefly cross Evelyn's face.

 _All I said was her name and she looked like she was about to faint_ , Eobard thought.

###

Once Eobard shut the door behind him I stripped down to my underwear and climbed in bed. My mind raced as I lay there under my fluffy comforter.

 _I finally touched the suit!_ I thought with excitement _. I can't believe I touched the suit! AND OH MY GOD HE SAID MY NAME! HOLY SHIT I SERIOUSLY THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO FAINT!_

When I finally calmed down I started thinking about his promise to bring me Big Belly Burger. It seemed a little odd for him to say something like that while not undercover as Dr. Wells. I shrugged it off as an attempt to motivate me for training. There was no way it was a genuinely nice gesture.

Before I knew it my eyes struggled to stay open and I finally fell asleep. That night I dreamt of lightning and flashes of blue light. All those images and more were instantly forgotten when I woke up in a fog the following morning to the smell of Big Belly Burger just outside my door.

* * *

The next chapter is in the works. Stay tuned for another OM (original metahuman).


	5. Chapter 4

Thanks for your patience for the latest chapter! As a heads-up this is where the fic starts to get darker and have more descriptive gore. The next chapter will be a lot more graphic since this one turned out pretty light in terms of gore. Enjoy!

* * *

Despite the dark sky outside one couple remained in the jewelry store. The young security guard stationed at the entrance stared at the flawless carpet floor with a deep frown on his bearded face. His middle-aged partner on the opposite side of the door looked up at him with concern.

"You okay, Parker?" he asked.

"…Izzy is still sick," Parker replied with a small frown. "She threw up her breakfast _and_ lunch all over the floor and in my bed so I had to clean all that up before I came to work."

"She's not getting better?" the partner asked, genuinely concerned.

Parker shook his head. "The vet said if the medicine hasn't helped at all by now I need to seriously consider putting her down."

"I'm sorry," the partner said sincerely.

"Izzy has been my puppy ever since elementary school…I don't know if I can—"

Parker cut himself off when the doors opened. He forced on a cheery smile and was about to greet the potential customer when he reached for the pistol strapped to his left side.

###

Nothing but nightmares haunted my sleeping hours. Most of the time I couldn't remember any significant details yet somehow I woke up covered in sweat with my heart racing. The few times I remembered my dreams terror kept me up the rest of the night. Fantasy themed online games became my only solace on those sleepless nights. Some nights a distraction just wasn't enough.

Every time I closed my eyes at night I relived the moment I defended Barry from Blackout. Sometimes I defeated Farooq without killing him. Most of the time his death was much more gruesome. The worst death involved my energy blasts going through his chest leaving a bloody gaping hole. Then there were the dreams where I couldn't control my powers and killed everyone around me as well as myself.

That scenario didn't bode well for the future in my opinion but Eobard gave me words of encouragement. He assured that the nightmares were simply a side effect of the trauma I experienced when I killed Farooq.

"In time you will learn to accept what you did and move on from it," Eobard said to me. "Sharing what you go through is vital to closure."

I remained silent as I drank the rest of my French Vanilla cappuccino. Despite the delicious drink I remained distracted by my latest "therapy session" with him. After he found out about my nightmares he insisted I talk about them with him or they could get worse. Talking kept the dreams from getting worse but they didn't get any better either.

 _I can't wait until I'm done with this bullshit,_ I thought as I polished off the last of my coffee.

I tossed the empty cup in the bathroom trash and rejoined Eobard in the training room.

Three mannequins were lined in a single row a few feet from the wall. Behind them I noticed the wall had been completely repaired and new mats were mounted. My aim improved since my last horrid attempt at this exercise. Still, I always felt on edge during training now.

I buried those feelings into the back of my mind so I could think clearly. I felt my eyes glow in time with my right hand. I pulled my hand back and then I froze. My mind screamed for my hand to move but it just wouldn't. My arm felt like I couldn't physically move it no matter how hard I tried.

"You're hesitating again, Lauren," Eobard stated impatiently.

I kept the energy going around my hand but lowered my arm.

 _I can't keep doing this every time I train,_ I told myself. _If I hesitate like that in the field I'll get myself killed. I just need to throw it on the count of three. I can do this!_

I set my sights on the mannequin in the middle of the group.

 _One…_

I raised my arm.

 _Two…_

I pulled my hand back.

 _Three!_

Just as I brought my hand forward the loudspeaker kicked on.

"Dr. Wells please come up to the cortex!" Cisco's voice rang out.

The ball of energy whizzed out of my hand and barely grazed the arm of my target. The attack hit the mat on the wall but it barely made a mark this time. Over the last couple days Eobard helped me fine tune how to control the strength I exerted so I wouldn't destroy the wall again. Still, I angrily glared up at the loudspeaker.

"A metahuman robbed Stroheim Jewels last night and got away," Cisco's voice continued.

Eobard sighed. "Will you be all right by yourself?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," I assured him.

To help prove my point I threw more energy. This time I hit the mannequin in the abdomen hard enough to knock it into the wall. The mannequin itself had no damage where I hit it. I smiled proudly and looked to Eobard for approval. He had already left the room.

 _Oh Lauren, you did such a good job!_ I mocked in my head. _Keep it up! I'm a dickhead speedster!_

I attacked one of the other mannequins and hit it easily. From there I decided to practice with my left hand so it would be useful for something in battle other than guarding. I prepped an energy burst and thrust it forward. I watched the ball miss the mannequin and blow a hole in the brand new mat on the wall.

 _Well that sucks…I guess I need to practice channeling with my left more._

###

Barry and Dr. Wells shared the same worried expression as they watched the security footage. Barry already investigated the crime scene with the police but Cisco used his hacking skills to get the security footage before the police could. As far as Central City Police knew the cameras had been tampered with from an outside source right before the robbery took place.

A tall man wearing a black jacket with the hood pulled up and opaque sunglasses approached the jewelry store. As security turned towards him he raised his right hand and black clouds shot out of his fingertips. Within seconds the camera became completely obscured. Despite a notice on the screen that the night vision setting automatically activated the view remained shrouded in black.

When the darkness finally vanished the security guards, two customers, and all the employees were on the ground with their necks bent at unnatural angles. Several display cases had been completely smashed apart and emptied. The cash register was also broken and emptied of its contents.

"And there are no traces of our thief?" Dr. Wells questioned Barry.

"We got a partial fingerprint but it wasn't enough to get any results," Barry responded with disappointment.

A smile grew on Cisco's face. He cracked his knuckles and stretched his hands over his head.

"Lucky for you I'm around," he said with pride. He scooted forward in his chair and began typing away. "I'll just use the facial recognition software. If it can identify a crispy corpse it'll get our Shadow Man."

Two profiles soon appeared onscreen. Both men looked extremely similar but had subtle differences in their jaw lines. One man had short black hair while the other had scraggly brown hair down to his shoulders. Both men were the same height as well as body type.

"Looks like Shadow Man could be either one of these guys," Cisco said to the group. "Our man Scott Burns—" He pointed to the man with short hair. "—was arrested for aggravated assault and attempted robbery. He got released from Iron Heights five years ago and hasn't committed a single crime since he got out.

"Marcel Schmidt, on the other hand, has been in and out of jail his whole life. Name a charge and this guy probably has it. I'm not sure if they were in Central City last year but they're our most likely candidates."

"We just need to find out if either of them have alibis for last night," Barry concluded. "I'll pass these on to Joe and see what he can find out."

Cisco printed copies of both profiles and gave them to Barry. The speedster stepped to leave but hesitated. He then faced Dr. Wells.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Barry asked him.

"Of course," Dr. Wells replied with a small nod.

Cisco and Caitlin made up pathetic excuses to leave them alone in the cortex. Once they were out of the room Barry looked at his mentor with nothing but seriousness.

"How has Evelyn been doing with easing back into training?" he asked.

"As well as can be expected from such a traumatic experience," Dr. Wells replied honestly. "Although she has shown improvement over the last few days she remains hesitant to use her powers."

Barry obviously didn't appear satisfied with that answer.

"Is there something else about Evelyn troubling you, Mr. Allen?" Dr. Wells asked. He folded his hands in his lap.

"It's just…" Barry trailed off hesitantly. "I know what it's like to have someone die in front of you but I've never actually had to do what she did for us that day. I'm really worried about her."

Dr. Wells smiled at Barry. "Perhaps you should express this to her directly," he suggested. "I'm sure a brief visit would cheer her up."

Barry nodded before he sped downstairs. He stopped in the doorway and Evelyn paused her training to face him. She smiled warmly and he returned the gesture.

"Hey Barry!" Evelyn greeted cheerfully. "I didn't think I'd see you until later."

"I just wanted to see how you were doing before heading back to the precinct," Barry said as he approached her. He examined the mannequins. "Looks like your aim has gotten better."

Evelyn blushed shyly. "Thanks. I've been mainly working on my left hand and I feel like it's _finally_ good enough to where I can try something new with my powers."

"Like what?"

"Well, I can make my shield into different shapes so theoretically I can make my attacks different shapes too right?"

"I guess it's possible. Have you tried it yet?"

"Not yet. I—"

Barry's cell phone interrupted the conversation. The speedster apologized to Evelyn before he answered the call.

"Hello?" he said into the device. "Captain Singh! I am…on my way down to your office right now." Barry put his phone away. "I'm really sorry but I have to go. Captain Singh thinks I'm in my lab at the precinct. Can we pick this up again later?"

"Of course," Evelyn said with a dazzling smile. "See ya later."

###

Barry sped out of the room leaving me alone. I dropped the cheery charade and shook my head at his tardiness before returning to my training.

I manifested a ball of energy between my hands and concentrated. The rounded surface of the ball slowly flattened into the shape of a perfect six-sided cube. As I thought of what other shapes I could try Eobard re-entered the room still in the wheelchair.

"What exactly are you doing?" he asked.

"Goofing off, obviously," I replied dryly. I slowly rotated the cube without moving my hands.

"What are you _really_ doing?" Eobard asked as he crossed his arms.

"I'm practicing different shapes before I start making weapons for myself," I replied, stopping the cubes rotation.

As I spoke I stretched the cube into a thin cylinder. Eobard quietly watched the cylinder between my hands stretch to nearly two feet long before it disappeared.

"Let's try this again…" I mumbled.

I started with a larger ball of light this time. I manipulated the ball into the same shape as last time but managed to make it the length that I wanted. I kept one hand at the bottom while I carefully moved my other hand down the side. I grasped the bottom of the short pole with both hands and gently swung it from side to side. When it didn't immediately disappear I boldly decided to swing it like a baseball bat.

The pole flew out of my hands and embedded itself in the chest of the left mannequin. I stood there frozen in place with my hands still in the swinging position.

"…Would you believe me if I told you I meant to do that?" I asked as I stared at my utter failure.

"Not at all," Eobard replied with an amused smile.

I sighed and put my arms down at my sides.

"However, we did learn that you have the capability to create projectiles that do not simply explode on impact," Eobard continued. He stood and approached the injured mannequin to get a better look at my failed attempt to create a sword. "There's an incredible amount of potential in this technique if applied correctly. Try again but don't swing it as hard this time."

My second attempt went about as well as the first one. Instead of the mannequin my second mock sword got stuck a few inches into the wall. After that Eobard had me put off that disaster in favor of another idea he had.

"I'm going to have you develop a technique that will eventually allow you to freely move about the city without assistance from Barry," Eobard began. "Eventually you will need to learn how to get around without him."

 _Please don't say you're going to teach me how to drive,_ I thought partially joking.

"In a matter of speaking you're going to learn how to levitate," Eobard continued, completely ignorant of my idiotic thoughts.

"That wasn't what I expected to hear but okay," I said with mild excitement.

As usual Eobard ignored my interruption before he continued.

"You're going to start by creating shields around various objects and see how far you can lift them," Eobard explained. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen. "If you can lift this out of my hand and bring it over to you only using your abilities then we can begin the real training."

In theory it didn't seem that hard. With my recent stroke of luck I wasn't sure how this would go.

 _You can do this,_ I told myself. _If you can do this you'll eventually learn how to fly. That's going to kick ass!_

With that motivation in mind I held out one hand to aid my concentration. The pen glowed in sync with my hand and eyes. At first the pen merely twitched in Eobard's palm. I concentrated a little harder and the pen shakily lifted a few inches. Slowly yet steadily the pen made its way towards me. I nearly dropped the pen about halfway but quickly regained control over it. As I grasped my hand around the pen I smiled triumphantly.

"Very good," Eobard approved. "Now you're going to do the same thing with weights."

… _Did he just say weights?_ I repeated in my head. _I could barely lift the pen!_

Eobard approached the supply cabinet he and Cisco recently added to the room. He picked out several small weights of varying sizes and walked back to his original place.

"You're going to start with the smallest weight then move on to the next biggest," Eobard instructed. He set the weights on the ground in a single row. "There are more weights in the cabinet. Call me when you exceed fifty-five pounds. I have to assist Cisco in solving our latest metahuman dilemma."

"And what dilemma would that be?" I asked with curiosity.

"Don't worry," Eobard said dismissively. "We can handle it."

###

A jet black car coasted to a stop in the dilapidated driveway. Detective Joe West and his young blond partner, Eddie Thawne, stepped out of the car. Eddie examined the house as both men approached the front door. The house desperately needed a new paint job and iron bars were mounted across every window. The lawn desperately needed to be mowed and weeds peeked out between the cracks in the walkway that led up to the front door.

"This is the only house on the block with bars like that," Eddie observed as he looked at the neighbors' houses. "It looks like they've been added recently too."

Joe remained silent as the two men approached the front door. He knocked loudly and a few seconds later the door swung open. A thin man with a grumpy frown stood in the doorway. The dark circles under his eyes made his already pale complexion appear even paler than in his old mugshot.

"Can I help you?" the man asked in annoyance.

Joe reached into his pocket and pulled out his badge. Eddie followed suit. The man carefully looked over the details of each badge.

"I'm Detective Joe West and this is my partner Eddie Thawne," Joe introduced before he put his badge away. "You're Scott Burns, right?"

"Yes…may I ask what this is about?" Scott asked cautiously.

"A robbery was committed last night and security cameras caught footage of a man that matched your description," Joe explained. He pulled out a small notepad and pen. "Where were you at seven thirty last night?"

"I was at Bayside Casino until one in the morning putting myself even further in debt," Scott replied sourly. "I lost over three grand last night."

"That's a lot of money to lose in one night," Eddie commented. Beside him Joe scribbled sloppily in the notepad.

"Yeah, it is," Scott said in annoyance. He casually leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms. "I've been going every other week for the last year so I can pay off my debt to Central City Hospital. Sometimes I get lucky but most of the time I don't."

"Were you in some kind of accident?" Joe asked, feigning concern.

"No, my brother Michael was," Scott explained with a pained expression. "He came over all cut up but refused to tell me what happened. When Michael finally got to the hospital he lost so much blood he was barely alive. He died on the table when the power went out. Since he had no insurance and I was next of kin I got footed the bill. It's almost been a year and I've barely put a dent into it between my day job and my casino runs."

"You said this accident happened almost a year ago…when exactly did it happen?" Joe asked. He had a strong feeling he already knew the answer to that question.

"December eleventh…the day that nutjob's particle accelerator exploded," Scott spat bitterly. "That explosion was what caused the blackout that killed my brother. I tried to file a lawsuit but it got thrown out because they claimed my brother had no chance of surviving even if the power had been on. By the time my case made it to court his body was long since cremated so they couldn't exactly examine his injuries to disprove it."

"I'm very sorry for your loss," Joe said solemnly. "We're going to follow up on your story about the Bayside Casino and we'll get in touch with you if we have any more questions. Don't leave town."

Scott grumbled a goodbye and loudly shut the door in their faces. The detectives waited until they were back in their car before they spoke to each other.

"That guy is _definitely_ hiding something," Joe deduced. He looked up at the house one final time. "We need to head to that casino and see if he was really there last night."

When the policemen drove out of sight a jet black Maserati slowly rounded the corner. The car stopped at the end of the driveway without turning in. The driver remained in the idling car as three of his well-dressed associates got out. Each man had studded brass knuckles on their fists. The man that reached the door first lifted his foot and kicked the door just beside the knob. Bits of wood splintered in every direction as the door flung open and the men rushed inside.

###

Barry stared down at the goggles on his desk while he waited patiently for Cisco to answer his phone. Even though they had known each other for quite some time Cisco's feats with technology never ceased to amaze Barry. The engineer managed to create thermal vision goggles far more efficient than what the military used in a matter of hours. He truly had an incredible gift.

When Cisco finally answered Barry informed his friend about Joe's findings with each suspect. Scott Burns was clearly shown gambling his money away at the casino's poker tables during the robbery. Marcel Schmidt had been at the movies with his most recent girlfriend and security cameras confirmed he never left the theater.

"Do you think the software you used to I.D. him was wrong?" Barry asked worriedly.

"Normally I'd say no but…" Cisco trailed off. "I don't know, man…"

"Have traffic cameras caught any sign of him since then?"

Faint typing sounds echoed in Barry's ear as Cisco typed away at his computer.

"No, nothing…" Cisco responded. "Wait! I've got something! He's at Gold City Bank on Cunningham and Sampere! He's about to head inside!"

Barry hastily hung up on Cisco. He used his speed to change into his suit and threw the goggles on over his cowl. The Flash easily evaded pedestrians and cars on the way Gold City Bank. Shadow Man stopped in his tracks when the lightning trail crackled in front of him.

"You can't keep stealing whatever you want," the Flash asserted, his voice echoing.

"It's not what I want," Shadow Man declared. "It's what I need to survive."

Tendrils of pure darkness seeped from Shadow Man's fingertips and intertwined with one another to form one large stream from each hand. The shadows thrust themselves towards the Flash but the scarlet hero easily evaded the attack. Shadow Man quickly dismissed his powers from one hand and then engulfed himself and the speedster in a massive cloud of darkness. The Flash came to an abrupt halt and blindly reached for the left side of the goggles. When his gloved fingers finally found the button to activate them he mashed it down and waited.

The goggles whirred to life but Barry's vision remained obscured.

"The goggles aren't working!" the Flash said as he put a hand to his communicator.

"Hang on let me try something!" Cisco replied quickly.

The Flash kept a fighting stance as he remained in place. He slowly turned his head from side to side in vain attempts to locate Shadow Man.

"How's that?" Cisco asked.

"Nothing changed!" the Flash replied. He began to panic. "I can't see any thermal—"

The Flash cried out as a strong fist struck him across the face. He stumbled slightly but quickly regained his footing. The Flash blindly threw a punch and hit air.

"That was pathetic!" Shadow Man taunted.

The Flash turned in the direction of Shadow Man's voice and let his fist fly. He missed a second time.

"Barry you have to use your speed!" Dr. Wells instructed. "If you create enough lightning you may be able to dissipate his cover!"

Lightning danced in the corners of the Flash's eyes. He crouched into a running stance and then sprung forward. Wind blew past the masked hero's face as he ran in circles. The lighting coming off his body crackled loudly but the darkness swallowed every inch of the electricity.

"Nothing can stop my powers!" Shadow Man shouted with swelling pride.

The Flash suddenly changed direction as he pulled back his fist for another hit. The Flash smirked when his fist roughly connected to what felt like a jawbone.

As Shadow Man fell to the ground the surrounding darkness faded just long enough for the Flash to catch another glimpse of him. The metahuman's sunglasses had been knocked off to reveal a horrifying sight. Both of Shadow Man's eyes were clouded over and grotesquely disfigured. Numerous thick scars on both sets of eyelids lined up with the dents in his eyes.

 _He's blind!_ the Flash realized.

Without hesitating Shadow Man shot several streams of darkness from his hand and struck the Flash in his chest. The scarlet speedster flew back into the steps a few yards away. The impact stunned him long enough to give Shadow Man the chance to escape in a cloud of shadows. A single strand of darkness scooped up the fallen sunglasses before merging with the escaping mass of cloud.

"Barry, get up!" Cisco urged. "The cops are going to be there any second!"

Despite his disorientation the Flash shakily stood and ran back to his lab at the police station. He quickly changed back into his street clothes and sat down at his desk trying to cope with the painful headache.

Captain Singh burst through the doorway with an angry look on his face. He opened his mouth to yell but stopped himself when he saw Barry gently swaying while clutching his head.

"You alright, Allen?" Captain Singh asked with worry.

Barry forced a smile as he faced his boss.

"It's just a headache, sir," Barry lied. "Is everything okay?"

Captain Singh put his stern face back on.

"I've been trying to call your phone but you didn't pick up," he informed Barry. "Get your kit. We're going to need you at Gold City Bank. Someone tried to rob it but got away."

"I'll get my kit ready now, sir," Barry promised.

Captain Singh left without another word. Barry picked up his phone and dialed Cisco's number.

"You okay, man?" Cisco asked his friend with worry.

"I have a splitting headache but I'm fine," Barry assured him. "Listen, when I hit him he lost control of his power for a second or two and I got a glimpse of his face without the sunglasses. He's blind."

"I'm sorry, did you just say Shadow Man is _blind_?" Cisco asked for clarification.

"Yeah, his eyes were disfigured and he had a lot of thick scar tissue around his eyes," Barry explained. "It looks like he got tortured."

"Wow, it was that bad?"

"Yeah. Look, I gotta go. Singh says I'm heading to the bank as CSI. I'll meet you all at S.T.A.R. Labs later."

Barry hung up without waiting for a response. He sighed before he grabbed the investigation kit under his desk and left the lab. A dark, moody cloud of emotion only Joe could see hovered around Barry on his way back to Gold City Bank.

###

 _Just a little more…come on…_

The glowing weights crept closer and closer through the air. Once they were finally within my grasp I released my powers. The sudden increase in weight almost made me drop the set on my feet. I barely managed to keep a grip on them before I gently lowered them onto the floor.

Despite the pounding in my head I smiled triumphantly at my progress. Eobard set my goal for fifty-five pounds and I managed to add an extra twenty pounds on top of that before I needed to stop. I grabbed my cell phone and dialed his number. He took an unusually long time to answer.

"Hello, Evelyn," he greeted.

 _If he's calling me Evelyn he must not be alone,_ I concluded.

"Hi, Dr. Wells," I said in return. "I made it to seventy-five pounds with the weights."

"Good work," Dr. Wells praised. "Please come up to the cortex for lunch. We all have a few things to discuss when Barry is finished with his CSI work for the police. He should be here soon."

I nodded even though I knew he couldn't see the gesture.

"Okay, I'll be up there in a few minutes," I told him. "Should I just leave the weights out or put them away?"

"Keep them out," Dr. Wells instructed. "They may be useful for your training after lunch. I'll go into more detail about it when Barry gets here."

"Okay, see you soon."

I hung up and stuffed my phone in the waist of my leggings. On my way to my room I wondered what Dr. Wells had in mind for after lunch. The way he spoke implied Barry and I would train together. It had been quite a while since we last trained together. That fact combined with the "metahuman dilemma" from this morning gave me a strong feeling the team needed me out in the field for this one.

To be honest I really didn't want to go. At the same time I knew something like this was bound to happen sooner or later. I just needed to keep my end goal in mind to push myself through it. Nobody would stand in my way to get me home.

 _Wow…I really sounded like Eobard for a minute there,_ I realized. _Eobard and I are totally different but in a few ways we're alike… I'm not really sure how to feel about that._

After a quick body spray shower I headed to the elevator. When I made it to the cortex I hungrily eyed the drinks and wrapped sandwiches Barry was passing out to the others. I didn't realize how hungry I was until the alluring smell reached me.

"Ah, there you are," Dr. Wells said with a warm smile.

Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin turned to greet me. I approached Barry and gestured to the food in his hands.

"Is that for me?" I asked him.

"Uh yeah," Barry stammered. He then passed the food to me. "I got you a tuna melt with Pepsi. I hope that's okay. I know you prefer Coke but the deli I went to only had Pepsi so…"

"No Coke, Pepsi," I said in a thick fake accent. I smiled at Barry and took a sip of my soda.

"Oh so you've discovered Saturday Night Live," Cisco praised. "Impressive."

"I have to be if I want to keep up with you," I said with a small smile.

Dr. Wells softly cleared his throat.

"Now that we're all here we need to discuss the details of the most recent metahuman attacks," the man said as he unwrapped his sandwich.

 _Oh shit that roast beef looks good,_ I thought out of nowhere. _Damn now I kind of want one._

"Last night a metahuman robbed a jewelry store and killed a total of seven people," Dr. Wells explained to me. I dug into my sandwich as he continued. "He struck again this morning but managed to escape. Unfortunately the technology Cisco and I built to assist Barry could not negate his power."

"What kind of power does he have to be able to do that?" I asked with concern. I took a large bite as he responded.

"He has the ability to manifest absolute darkness," Dr. Wells replied.

The moment I heard those words I knew exactly what direction the conversation was about to go. I had absolutely zero desire to go up against someone that just killed seven people let alone a metahuman with powers that could rival my own. Regardless, I remained quiet as I waited for the inevitable "help me Obi-Wan Kenobi" pitch.

"Since he has the ability to control the dark we believe only someone that controls light can defeat him as they are natural reverses of one another," Dr. Wells continued before he dug into his sandwich.

 _Haha I see what you did there, Eobard,_ I thought amusingly.

"We tried to handle this without getting you involved but I couldn't see _anything_ once I was surrounded by his…dark cloud…thing," Barry said. He struggled to describe the meta's powers to me. "I couldn't even see the lightning from using my speed."

"Wow," I said in awe. "That's pretty hardcore." I realized I indirectly complimented the meta. "In a bad way, I mean."

"We were hoping you'd be willing to train with me so we can come up with a strategy that uses a combination of our powers but mainly focuses on yours," Barry said, almost afraid of what my reaction would be.

"Sounds like a plan," I said with a nod. I took a sip of my soda and saw everyone giving me surprised looks. "What?"

"Nothing," Caitlin replied when no one else would speak up. "We just…thought you might need a little more convincing than that."

"I could use a smoothie for a bribe," I joked. "But seriously, the people of this city come before my comfort zone. If I have to help the Flash again then so be it."

Dr. Wells smiled and glanced up at Barry.

"I see your ideals are rubbing off on Evelyn, Mr. Allen," he said to his first protégé.

"Barry's a good example," I praised truthfully. Barry bashfully rubbed the back of his head. "So, what else do we know about, uh…what's his name?"

"Shadow Man," Cisco replied.

While I nodded approvingly at the nickname Caitlin rolled her eyes.

"I think she meant his _actual_ name," she said to her friend.

"Both actually," I said through a small mouthful.

"His name is Michael Burns," Caitlin informed me.

 _With a name like that he should have had a fire power,_ I laughed mentally.

"We previously thought our culprit was his twin brother Scott but he had an alibi for both robberies," Caitlin continued. "We didn't even consider Michael at first because he died last year when the particle accelerator exploded."

"Did the explosion revive him or something?" I asked the young doctor.

Dr. Wells shook his head. "We don't believe so. After being pronounced dead in the hospital his body was supposedly cremated and the remains were sent to his brother, Scott. The odd thing is that this process had been sped up much more quickly than usual and all the people involved quit their jobs and moved out of Central City with little or no explanation.

"After those people _moved_ _away_ —" He made air quotes with his free hand. "—no one has seen or heard from them but there have been no missing person reports filed either."

"But who could orchestrate something like that and leave _no evidence_ behind?" Caitlin asked, clueless.

"The mob," Cisco and I replied in unison.

Cisco and I looked at each other before we smiled broadly.

"We should hang out more," he said, gesturing between the two of us.

"Indeed," I replied with a happy nod.

Cisco narrowed his eyes. "Did you just make a Stargate SG-1 reference?"

"I did," I said proudly.

"Okay, we _definitely_ need to hang out more now."

"What makes you two think the mob was involved?" Caitlin interrupted skeptically.

"It just kind of makes sense," I replied with a shrug. "All of those people just so happened to go missing after Shadow Man was supposed to get cremated. Now we find out he's not only alive but has powers _and_ he's using them rob jewelry stores and banks. That has mob written all over it."

"The only question is which crime family did it," Cisco added thoughtfully at the end.

"In any case this is pure conjecture," Dr. Wells interjected. "For now let's discuss possible strategies Barry and Evelyn can use to defeat Mr. Burns."

" _Excellent,_ " Cisco and I said as we drummed our fingers in unison.

Caitlin facepalmed, Barry failed at hiding his smile as he ate, and Dr. Wells looked at us both sternly. We apologized but shared amused glances. From there the brainstorm session began.

###

The ornate metal gate swung closed once the dark Maserati was a safe distance ahead. The car slowly drove along the smooth pavement until it stopped at the front steps of a two story mansion. A man in a pinstripe suit stepped down from his position at the base of the stairs and opened the back door of the car.

A man dressed in a similar suit came out of the backseat with a tattered suitcase in his possession. Michael Burns and another finely dressed man followed closely behind him. The suitcase got passed on to the man that had been waiting and Michael was escorted inside by the armed trio.

Michael quietly followed his escorts up the wide marble staircase to the second floor. They turned off into a hallway lined with paintings that depicted feasts or rustic food displays. They stopped at a mahogany door in the heart of the mansion.

The man holding the suitcase gently knocked on the door.

"You may enter," a thickly accented voice responded.

Michael became noticeably more nervous at the sound of that voice. He struggled to force himself forward when he heard the door open. He took several steps forward until he felt the edge of a rug bump against his toes.

At the opposite end of the rug a broad shouldered man was seated at a wooden desk. His neatly styled brown hair parted to the right in a perfect straight line and his four piece Armani suit made the fine suits his guards wore look like absolute garbage.

The man at the desk silently motioned for the suitcase to be brought forward. The suitcase was placed on the desk and opened for him. He carefully examined the various jewels and diamonds scattered inside and quickly counted the crumpled bundles of cash. He frowned as he shut the suitcase and pushed it away.

"You're short," he said bluntly. " _Very_ short."

As he spoke his teeth became visible. Every pearly white tooth had been painstakingly filed down to a sharp point.

"I know and I'm _truly_ sorry, Mr. Santini," Michael apologized. He could barely keep himself together. "When I tried to get the rest of your money the Red Streak got in the way. I couldn't rob the bank before the police showed up."

Mr. Santini sighed softly and shook his head in disappointment.

"I told you what would happen if you didn't pay off the rest of your debt," he said. He briefly looked to the guard that put the suitcase on his desk. "Bring him in."

The guard nodded and swiftly left the room making sure to close the door behind him. Tense minutes filled with silence went by before the door burst open again. The guard returned forcing Michael's brother Scott into the room first. Black and purple bruises peeked through the countless tears in Scott's clothing. One eye had swelled shut and the other was bloodshot from the beatings he endured. His bloody hands were handcuffed behind his back and a gag suppressed his desperate cries for mercy.

"Mr. Santini, _please_ —" Michael begged.

"Left or right?" Mr. Santini interrupted calmly.

Michael swallowed hard. "Left," he answered in a choked voice.

The guard forced Scott to walk to the left side of the desk. He then unlocked the handcuffs and bent Scott forward with his left arm stretched out. Mr. Santini opened the top right drawer and pulled out a freshly sharpened cleaver.

In one powerful strike Mr. Santini brought the blade down onto Scott's outstretched wrist.

Despite the gag in his mouth Scott let out a feral cry as the broad knife cut cleanly through the bones and embedded into the desk. Blood splattered and sprayed across the room from the open arteries. The guards and Michael got a small fraction of blood on them in comparison to Mr. Santini. His suit and face were drenched with blood.

Mr. Santini left the cleaver in place and grabbed Scott's dismembered hand off the desk. He put the bloodied end up to his mouth and squeezed on the hand. He moaned in ecstasy as the fresh blood flowed past his pointed teeth and down his throat. As he drank his fill the guard holding Scott down pulled a large rag out of his pocket and put it over the bloody stump. The cloth quickly became soaked in blood as Scott was practically dragged out of he room.

When blood no longer flowed from the severed hand Mr. Santini gently set it back on the table where it was. He then reached into the inner chest pocket of his suit jacket, pulled out a clean handkerchief, and dabbed his lips until they were clean. The rest of him, however, remained covered in blood.

"You have twenty-four hours to repay me in full," he said as he neatly folded the handkerchief and put it away.

Without a command given the two remaining guards escorted Michael away. Mr. Santini remained seated as he stared at the hand on his desk. He rubbed his stubbled chin deep in thought. Not long after that the guard that took Scott out returned.

"How would you like it prepared, Mr. Santini?" he asked, nodding at the hand.

"I'm thinking carpaccio," Mr. Santini replied with a casual smile. "Tell Adamo to add the rest to stock."

###

I swiped my hands outwards as Barry closed in for another attack. His fist bounced off the small shield I created and he went for another punch. I deflected the hit without my powers. I then mustered all the strength I could into a kick aimed for his legs.

The kick threw Barry off balance for a split second. In that moment I threw a punch straight at his chest focusing my powers into my hand at the last second. Barry gasped loudly and flew back several feet. I dismissed my powers as Barry rolled on the ground another few feet.

"I'm so sorry, Barry!" I exclaimed as I ran to him. "Are you okay?!"

Barry gave me a weak thumbs-up. I held out a hand and helped him to his feet.

"I didn't break anything, did I?" I asked with worry.

"No, I just…didn't expect you to hit me that hard," Barry admitted.

"I'm sorry," I apologized again. "With the adrenaline going I just got carried away…"

"It's okay, Evelyn," Barry assured me with a smile.

I smiled through the painful twinge in my heart.

"I believe you both have trained enough for now," Dr. Wells said to us. I turned to face him. "Rest as best you can for the remainder of the day. We all need to be prepared for when Michael Burns shows himself again."

Barry and I nodded in agreement.

"I'm heading home then," Barry announced. "See you guys later."

Dr. Wells and I said our goodbyes as he left. As soon as Barry was gone Eobard got out of his wheelchair.

"Do you really think that technique will work against Shadow Man?" I asked him. "I mean…we could only really test it when the lights were out and that's not exactly absolute darkness."

"The only way to find out is to face him," Eobard replied simply.

"Speaking of which why didn't the goggles work for Barry?" I asked, crossing my arms. "I know you're smart enough to make something like that blindfolded with one hand behind your back."

"You needed a push," Eobard said to me. "This morning you were so timid you froze against _a target._ Now you can use your powers while you train with Barry. That alone is a big step after what you went through."

Eobard put a hand on my upper arm and gently squeezed.

"You will be fine," he promised. "I won't let anything happen to you. Anything serious, at least."

"Gee, thanks," I said sarcastically as I rolled my eyes.

Eobard smirked as he slowly removed his hand from my arm.

"I'm going upstairs," he said as he sat back in the wheelchair. "I'll call you if we need you."

###

Cisco stared at the computer screen with a blank expression. Caitlin frowned when she finally noticed.

"Cisco, is everything okay?" she asked.

At first Cisco debated on replying. Finally he answered her question.

"I was just thinking…" he said, still staring at the computer. "…Evelyn and Dr. Wells have been spending a lot of time together lately."

"He spends as much time with her as he does with Barry."

Cisco hummed and took a long sip of his soda.

"Actually no…" Cisco muttered as he set the drink down. "I've timed their training sessions and on average Dr. Wells spends an extra half hour with Evelyn _per session_."

"So?" Caitlin asked, not sure of what he was trying to say.

Cisco wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. At first Caitlin didn't understand what he meant. When the implications finally clicked her mouth fell open and her cheeks flushed bright pink.

"No!" Caitlin denied vehemently. "There's just no way!"

"Why not?" Cisco asked. "A half hour is more than enough time to—"

"She's _half_ his age!" Caitlin argued loudly. "He's old enough to be her father!"

Cisco shrugged his shoulders. "So?" he asked. "Look at Hugh Hefner."

Caitlin couldn't make eye contact with Cisco.

"I can't believe you just compared _Dr. Wells_ to _Hugh Hefner_ …" she uttered as she rubbed her temples.

Caitlin jumped when Barry suddenly appeared beside her. She put a hand to her chest when she realized it was just him. Barry slowly grinned at her.

"Dr. Snow, did I just hear you compare Dr. Wells to Hugh Hefner?" Barry jokingly scolded as he crossed his arms.

" _Cisco_ said it _not_ me!" she cried in her defense. "For some reason he came to the conclusion Evelyn and Dr. Wells are…"

"Are what?" Barry asked as he raised an eyebrow at her. His smile grew as Caitlin became increasingly flustered.

"Are…in a… _relationship_ ," Caitlin continued, unable to make eye contact as she struggled to speak.

Silence filled the room for an uncomfortable amount of time. Cisco snorted before he burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Oh my God!" Cisco said between laughs. "You should have seen her face when I said it, Barry! It was totally _priceless_!"

Caitlin pouted as she hit Cisco in the arm. He just kept laughing and Barry shook his head.

"That was _not_ funny!" Caitlin scolded.

"It kinda was," Barry said to her.

Caitlin moved to smack Barry as well but he sped out of the way before she could touch him.

"But really there is something I wanted to tell you both," Cisco said, taking on a serious tone. "Do you remember how Dr. Wells told us Evelyn had no information available _anywhere_?"

"Yeah, why?" Barry asked.

"Well, when he asked me to set up new information for her to get her an I.D. and all that stuff I gave Felicity a call," Cisco explained. "I sent her Evelyn's picture, her blood samples, _everything_ , and even _Felicity_ couldn't find anything. She couldn't even find a distant relative."

"What does that mean exactly?" Barry asked.

"It means she's in the best witness protection program Felicity has ever seen," Cisco announced. "She's been trying to find something for the last _month_ and came up with nothing. It's _really_ frustrating her."

"We already knew no databases had any information about Evelyn," Barry said. His irritation steadily rose. "Why did you have Felicity look into it?"

"A month of algorithms searching twenty-four seven should have found something," Cisco explained.

"For all we know she went into hiding because the man in yellow killed her family," Barry said defensively.

"Barry, she doesn't even have dead relatives," Cisco informed him with a frown. "Don't you think that's a little odd?"

Barry struggled to come up with an explanation. His irritation reached its peak.

"Why are you doing this, Cisco?" he asked, raising his voice. "Evelyn has done nothing but be nice to us all and _risk her life_! You two were getting along so well earlier and now you're back to being suspicious about her? I thought you were past this."

"I'm sorry Barry but I can't shake the feeling that she's hiding something from us."

Barry turned to Caitlin with a glint of hope in his eyes.

"You don't agree with him, do you?" he asked the scientist.

Caitlin bit her lower lip as she attempted to determine the correct wording of her response.

"I believe that Evelyn is a genuinely good person but what Felicity found…or didn't find…does raise a few questions," she said carefully.

Barry shook his head in disappointment.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this…" he uttered.

"Neither can I."

The three young adults faced the doorway to find Dr. Wells had entered the cortex without any of them noticing. He appeared obviously unhappy with their conversation.

"Barry, could you please excuse us?" Dr. Wells asked, his stern blue eyes not leaving Caitlin or Cisco. "I'd like to have a talk with my employees."

Barry silently nodded and walked out of the cortex. Once he was well out of earshot Dr. Wells wheeled himself forward.

"I'm disappointed in both of you," he said. "Especially you, Cisco. Why on earth would you give sensitive information about _a victim_ to someone _without_ _my approval?_ "

"Dr. Wells, Felicity would never—" Cisco began to say.

"I do not care whether or not you find Miss Smoak trustworthy with sensitive information," Dr. Wells interrupted, raising his voice. "What if General Eiling had intercepted your message, Cisco? He would have _everything_ he needed about Evelyn to turn her into another experiment like Sergeant Sans Souci!"

Cisco was at a loss of words. He knew the horrifying experiments General Eiling had put Bette Sans Souci through. Not for a moment did he think the same thing could happen to Evelyn. If it had he would have been the one responsible.

"Thankfully Barry has enough sense to not have his judgment clouded by this nonsense," Dr. Wells continued. "I better not hear about this again or there _will_ be consequences. Is that understood?"

Cisco and Caitlin meekly nodded. Dr. Wells gave each of them one final glare before he left the cortex.

###

After a long hot shower my phone beeped loudly signaling that I had a text message. Eobard summarized that Cisco discovered I had absolutely no relatives dead or alive anywhere in the United States. He warned me to be extra cautious around the engineer. I told him not to worry and then deleted our short exchange as usual.

I was about to boot up my laptop when I received another text message. This one was from Barry.

We texted each other pretty frequently when we weren't training or he wasn't working. At first I thought he only texted me because felt bad that I was cooped up inside all the time. In reality we had a lot in common so he had a tendency to bullshit with me instead of writing reports for Captain Singh.

 **Hi, Evelyn. I just wanted to say I really appreciate everything you've done to help out. It means a lot.**

I smiled and quickly texted a reply back.

 _ **Don't worry about it, Barry. You know I'm always here for you. :)**_

###

Iris clocked out with a heavy sigh. Today had been particularly busy and she had to be at Jitters two hours before open. Now that her eight hour shift finally ended she could reward herself with one among many blends of coffee she had been brewing and mixing all morning. She carefully sipped the hot coffee as she walked out from behind the counter.

A smile came to her face and her mood soared when she saw a familiar mop of messy brown hair staring down at his phone. Barry appeared nervous until a series of beeps signaled he got a reply. Whatever he read on the screen made him smile.

With an overwhelming urge to be nosey Iris snuck up behind Barry and peeked over his shoulder. She grinned as she skimmed the messages visible on the screen.

"I didn't know you had Evelyn's number," Iris teased as Barry took a sip of his own coffee.

Barry nearly spit the drink out before he turned around.

"Iris!" he exclaimed. "Aren't you supposed to be working?"

"My shift just ended," Iris told him. She smiled mischievously at her adoptive brother. "So...what has she been helping you with that you appreciate so much?"

"Just…stuff," Barry replied. He set his phone on the table with the screen facing down.

Iris pouted childishly. She could always tell when Barry lied to her.

"Come on, tell me!" she nagged as she set her coffee down. "Please?"

"Iris it's not that big of a deal," Barry insisted fervently.

"Then why are you being secretive?"

"I'm not being secretive. You're just being nosey."

Iris pursed her lips as she eyed Barry's phone. She looked out the window and her eyes widened.

"Barry, I just saw the Streak!" Iris gasped, pointing out the window.

A bewildered expression overcame Barry and he turned away. Iris snatched his phone off the table before he had the chance to react. She knew she could write whatever she wanted at that point. Barry would never forcibly take his phone back. The most he would ever do was use his "I'm a grown man don't touch my things" voice.

"Iris, give it back!" Barry cried as he reached for the device. His loud voice turned a few heads but most people ignored the interaction.

"I'm almost done," Iris said. She typed even faster just in case Barry really did try to take the phone from her.

"Iris, give it back," Barry said, no longer joking around.

Iris quickly hit send before she gave the phone back.

"Here you go," she said with a playfully smug grin.

Barry frowned at his screen as he read what she sent to Evelyn.

 **We should have a drink date tonight on me.**

"Iris, why did you do that?" he asked, clearly irritated.

"You're welcome!" Iris chirped as she picked her coffee back up. Barry stared at her waiting for an explanation. "Oh come on, Barry! She's funny, pretty, and you talk about her _all the time_!"

"No I don't!" Barry scoffed. Iris raised an eyebrow at him and took a sip of her coffee. "Okay, so I talk about her sometimes. We're just friends."

"You were just friends with Becky Cooper too and then you two started dating, like, a week later," Iris reminded him.

"Why are you comparing her to Becky?" Barry asked, sounding slightly offended. "You didn't even like her and we only dates for _three months_ before she broke up with me."

"My point is you need to start putting yourself out there," Iris told him.

Barry opened his mouth to argue but his ringtone cut him off. He checked he screen as Iris eagerly awaited the result.

"She knows it was you," Barry said, putting his phone in his pocket. "She says hi."

Iris frowned with disappointment.

"Look, I gotta run to the store to restock my fridge," Barry said as he stood up.

"I thought you went shopping yesterday," Iris said with confusion.

"I forgot a few things," Barry replied as he turned to leave. "I'll see you later."

"See you later, Barry."

Iris watched Barry leave until she decided her coffee needed extra creamer and walked away.

Meanwhile as Barry walked down the street he took his phone back out.

 _ **I'd be up for a round or two. It would be nice to actually use my I.D. lol**_

Barry reread Evelyn's reply over and over as he struggled to think of a response. If she hadn't responded he would have just told her Iris sent the text as a joke. It seemed like Evelyn was looking forward to going out so he couldn't use that excuse and disappoint her. He needed to use wording that made it obvious that it wouldn't be an actual date.

 **Cool. It will be nice to have a friendly drink. I'll talk to Dr. Wells and make sure he's okay with you leaving the lab for a few hours.**

Immediately after he sent the message Barry called Dr. Wells. He answered almost immediately.

"Hello, Mr. Allen," Dr. Wells greeted formally.

"Hey, Dr. Wells," Barry greeted in return. "I'd like to, uh, ask if you'd be okay with me taking Evelyn out of the lab for an hour or two tonight."

"May I ask what for?" Dr. Wells asked, sounding obviously bewildered.

"I know it's for her safety but I feel bad that she rarely ever leaves the lab," Barry began awkwardly. "So, I…uh…thought she might enjoy a drink…or something."

Dr. Wells did something Barry didn't expect. He chuckled.

"Both you and Evelyn have been training hard to apprehend Michael Burns and that hasn't gone unnoticed," Dr. Wells said in a light tone. "Just be sure that she doesn't leave your sight. We can't be too cautious."

"I'll keep her safe," Barry promised.

"I know you will. I have to go now. There are a few things I need to attend to. I'll let you know if we get another hit on Michael Burns."

Barry thanked his mentor and then hung up. He hoped the new techniques Evelyn developed during training would work against Shadow Man's dark powers. Evelyn acted confident during their practice session earlier but he had a strong feeling deep down she was even more worried than him.

###

I gave my hood a light tug to make sure it would stay in place. When it didn't move I turned to Barry who was already dressed in his own suit. Caitlin handed him a compact tranquilizer gun that easily fit into a zipper pocket in his suit.

"It will only last a few minutes so make sure you use it right before you take him back here," Caitlin instructed.

Barry nodded and then faced me.

"Ready?" he asked.

I nervously smiled at him.

"Let's go kick some ass, Flash," I said, trying to be strong.

The Flash scooped me up in his arms and we sped out of S.T.A.R. Labs. I held on for dear life as the city whizzed by in an incomprehensible blur. Before I knew it we were in Main Street Bank only a few yards away from Shadow Man.

"This is your last chance, Michael," the Flash said in his modified voice. "You either come willingly or we drag you out."

Shadow Man attacked without a second thought. Tendrils of darkness shot out of his hands directly for us. I quickly made two sunbolts—as I now liked to call them—and threw them at the approaching attack. The shadows encased themselves around my sunbolts and Shadow Man grinned.

In two powerful explosions of light his extensions faded away. Shadow Man staggered back a step as he ground his teeth. He then created four more tentacles. Three of them went after the Flash while the remaining one came after me.

I threw a sunbolt to disarm the one that came after me and prepared to throw another to aid the Flash. I involuntarily screamed as my entire body became constricted. I looked down and saw two streams tightly winding themselves around my arms and legs.

"Barry, Evelyn needs your help!" Dr. Wells said over the coms.

"I'm on it!" he replied.

The speedster changed direction and made a break for me from across the hall. Shadow Man called back the shadows chasing after the Flash and instead created a cloud of darkness. The entire room was enveloped by the cloud before Barry got halfway to me.

"Guys, I'm blind!" the Flash said into his communicator.

"Working on it!" I grunted as I tried to struggle free.

I felt something brush against the base of my neck. Feeling absolute darkness brush against my bare skin sent a shiver down my spine. As the shadows wrapped around my throat I took in a deep breath before my oxygen got cut off completely.

"Prism, where are you?" the Flash asked desperately.

The team tried asking when I didn't respond but I blocked out their voices. I struggled to ignore the enormous pressure around my throat as I concentrated energy across my entire body. The pressure around my neck stopped briefly before I felt it return. The energy around my neck began to crack so pushed the energy to spread faster. I simultaneously concentrated energy into my eyes. The glow around my body grew as the light in my eyes shrank down to my irises.

From my point of view the room became bathed in bright blue light. Shadow Man had one hand concentrated on me while the other kept the room dark. The Flash had his back to Shadow Man but kept himself in a fighting stance to be prepared for a sneak attack. Only nothing happened.

 _He can't attack Barry!_ I realized. _Both hands are occupied!_

With the shield around my body complete I thrust the energy outwards into a giant sphere. I took in a large breath of air as my shield forced the darkness away.

"Six center!" I shouted in a raspy voice.

The Flash turned around and ran full pelt. He tackled Shadow Man in his unprotected center and both men toppled to the ground. The Flash quickly reached for the compact tranquilizer dart Caitlin made and shoved the needle into Shadow Man's neck. The meta's body fell limp and the darkness vanished. I released my powers as the Flash ran off with Shadow Man's unconscious body.

 _Holy shit we did it!_ I realized in amazement. _I almost got strangled to death but I still did it!_

An all too familiar sound ruined my internal celebration. Police sirens blared just outside.

"The cops are here!" I said into my communicator.

A whoosh of air and lightning crack later I was in the cortex beside Caitlin and the others.

"Well done, guys!" Cisco congratulated enthusiastically. He gave Barry a fistbump and then high fived me.

"Thanks," I said gratefully.

I pulled back my hood and undid my bun so my hair fell over my left shoulder in a single braid. As I reached for my mask Caitlin's mouth fell open.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "Bruises have already started to form!"

Caitlin insisted she examine my throat right then and there. I winced when she gently touched the more tender spots but I tried not to complain. Overall I didn't feel that bad. From what I saw in the mirror my bruises were pretty nasty though. Caitlin instructed me to put ice on it and eat softer foods for a few days to err on the side of caution. She said the bruises would take some time to heal but she couldn't be sure how long since they're still fresh.

"So, how much longer will that tranquilizer I gave him last?" Barry asked Caitlin as she fetched me an ice pack.

"Not too much longer," she replied when she came back. I took the ice pack from her and gently placed it on my throat. "He should be close to waking up by the time you get to the pipeline."

"I want to be there when he wakes up," I spoke up.

"I think you've done enough for the day, Evelyn," Dr. Wells said in a gentle tone. "You should get some rest."

"I will after I see this jerk wake up in person," I promised.

Dr. Wells and I locked eyes. He didn't want me to go down there but knew I would just go anyway. Finally he sighed.

"Very well," he relented. "Just keep your masks on."

Barry and I promised we would. The speedster and I walked side by side down the hall to the short flight of stairs that led to the pipeline hall. Barry remained unusually quiet the entire walk. As we walked down the stairs I felt the need to say something but he spoke up first.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get to you in time," he apologized sadly. "It's my fault you got hurt."

"No, it's mine," I said quietly. "I wasn't paying attention and got caught. That was definitely on me."

"I've been doing this longer so I should have been better…I should have been faster," Barry lamented.

Impulsively I grabbed Barry's wrist and forced him to stop. He refused to look at me.

"Barry, look at me," I said, raising my voice. He reluctantly looked over his shoulder at me and I pointed at my throat. "Shadow Man did this _not_ you. Please don't blame yourself. You're the reason I'm alive, Barry. If you hadn't stopped him with the tranq dart I wouldn't have stood a chance against him."

Barry cracked a smile so I let him go.

"So…" I said with a mischievous smile. "What made you want to go have drinks?"

Barry stammered as he tried to come up with a reason. I laughed and clapped him on the back.

"I was kidding," I joked. "Did Iris take your phone or something?"

Barry looked at me with shock.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"You usually stop at Jitters on your way home if Iris is working and you asked something out of character," I responded as I adjusted the ice pack. "I assumed it was her messing around."

"I-I'm sorry," Barry apologized. "It seemed like you really wanted to go so I didn't want to tell you Iris sent that text but I also didn't want you to think it was a _date_ date. Not that you're not dateable! You are! I mean you are but not to me. We're just friends."

"It's cool, bro," I assured him.

"Ouch, brozoned…" Cisco said through the coms. "That's worse than friendzoning."

"You're not in any kind of zone so you have no room to talk," I retorted.

Barry winced with a smile.

"You should run that burn under cold water, Cisco," he said.

"With how bad that burn was an ointment would be better," Caitlin chimed in in.

"Be sure to treat it with aloe afterwards," Dr. Wells added. "You don't want the burn to feel worse."

On the inside I practically died laughing. I hadn't expected Dr. Wells to add his two cents in.

"Is it pick on Cisco day or something?" Cisco asked, feigning hurt.

"Yes," all four of us replied.

Cisco continued to whine over the coms while Barry and I entered the pipeline. Barry hit a few buttons on the control panel mounted on the wall. A loud whirring noise came from the other side of the door before it opened.

Shadow Man stirred as we approached the glass. He ran his hands along the floor with a confused expression. When he put his hands against the glass he began to panic. Desperately he reached around for a door. When he couldn't find one he created dark extensions and thrashed at the surrounding walls.

"Don't bother," Barry said over the intercom. "There's no way to escape even with your powers."

"You have to let me out!" he cried as the shadows vanished. "He's going to come for me!"

"No one's going to find you here, Michael," Barry assured him.

"Lector Santini _always_ finds his target!" Michael argued fervently.

"…Lector Santini?" Barry asked in disbelief.

I looked to the side to find Barry was visibly shaken. The only time I ever saw Barry get that worked up was when Tony kidnapped Iris. Whoever Lector Santini was he terrified not only Michael but Barry as well.

"As in _Cannibal Lector_?" Barry asked for clarification.

… _I don't like the direction this conversation is going,_ I thought with dread.

"I got caught stealing from one of his vertigo dealers last year," Michael confessed. "He decided to pay me a visit in person and did _this_ to me."

My stomach twisted as Michael lifted the hem of his shirt up to his chin. His entire torso was covered in scars even thicker than the ones around his eyes. The vast majority of the scars were perfectly square dents as if the muscle beneath had been carved down to the bone. Nausea crept up on me when I processed what most likely happened to the missing flesh.

"Scott took me to the hospital but I didn't tell him what happened until later because I was supposed to be in rehab," Michael continued as he put his shirt back down. "I don't remember much but when I woke up I had these powers. Apparently someone at the hospital on Lector's payroll found out and snitched. They thought my power would be useful to him. Lector agreed so he faked my death and made everyone at the hospital that got involved disappear."

 _Holy shit I was mostly joking when I said the mob was involved!_ I thought with horror.

"Lector said I had to work off everything he paid the hospital, his informants, and do odd job robberies for him or he'd kill Scott," Michael continued. His hands curled into frustrated fists. "Today was my last chance after Lector cut off Scott's hand in front of me."

For quite some time neither Barry or I had any idea what to say. Eventually Barry broke the ice first. I was thankful for that since Michael's terrifying story began to make me queasy.

"I'm sorry about your brother…" Barry apologized sincerely. "…but we can't let you go. You're a dangerous criminal that's killed _at least_ seven people."

Tears formed in Michael's eyes as he collapsed to his knees.

"…If you won't let me out then I refuse to let that psychopath take another bite out of me," he said, closing his eyes.

Darkness spread from his hands in thin threads until they merged together into one large spike.

 _Oh my god is he—?_

The thought remained incomplete as the dark spike pierced Michael through the chest. Blood gushed from the gaping hole when the shadows vanished for the last time. His body slumped forward against the glass and then toppled to the side.

My head began to spin as I stared at the blood smeared all over the glass. I swore I was seconds away from vomiting when suddenly I found my face buried in Barry's shoulder. Now unable to see the horror a few feet away my sickness subsided.

It was still too late. The mental damage had already been done. My arms hung limp at my sides as Barry held me close.

 _He's dead… He's dead… He's dead…_

Those words echoed in my mind over and over as Barry slowly brought me out of the pipeline past Caitlin and Cisco. Barry kept a gentle guiding hand on my lower back as he led me back up to the cortex.

Since Cisco was helping Caitlin in the pipeline Dr. Wells examined me to make sure I was okay. Any questions he asked I answered with a quiet nod or shake of my head. I only spoke if prompted to do so. My vitals were fine so Dr. Wells suggested Barry went home for the evening. He appeared to hesitate for a moment before he silently left the lab.

Dr. Wells wheeled himself towards one of the side offices and motioned for me to follow him. I sat in the chair across from his desk as he shut the door behind him. Dr. Wells then stood from his chair and removed his glasses.

Eobard crouched down behind his desk, opened a drawer, and fiddled with a few things. I became confused when I heard glass gently rattle out of view. Eobard shut the drawer as he stood up straight. In one hand he had two tumbler glasses and in the other a practically new bottle of bourbon. Only two or three shots were missing out of it.

"After what you went through tonight I figured you could use a drink," Eobard said. He poured a drink in each glass perfectly level with the other.

"Thanks," I said as I watched him set the bottle aside.

Eobard grabbed one glass and handed me the other. I gently swished the alcohol around as I inhaled the scent. I normally hated bourbon with a passion. This bourbon smelled so delicious I couldn't wait to try it. I took a small sip and wasn't disappointed. It had a massive punch of flavor that went down smoothly. The warm feeling in the pit of my stomach chased away all my anxieties.

"Wow," I said, looking at the glass. "This is good."

"Does this brand exist on your Earth?" Eobard asked. He took a sip as he pushed the bottle closer to me.

"It doesn't look familiar but I'm also not a bourbon person," I replied as I read the label. I then took another sip. "This is really good though."

"It is," Eobard agreed. "It's not something you would find at a bar…with Barry."

I stopped the glass right before it touched my lips.

"I should have known this was coming," I sighed before I finished my drink in one gulp.

"While I'm not against you going out once in a while…" Eobard said as he poured my second drink. "…you should avoid filling the gaps left by your old life. You won't like where you'll end up."

"You make it sound like we were going out for more than just drinks," I said. I finished the entire drink in one shot.

"All it takes is a single spark with the right person to change the timeline," Eobard reminded me. "Everything we do has a ripple effect."

"It's not like one round of drinks will make me replace Iris," I argued.

"It could happen if you aren't more careful," Eobard lectured. He poured my third drink and his second. "Barry's emotions can be easily swayed if given the proper nudge. A single word or even a smile could change his feelings for Iris and for the future to be intact that must not happen."

"It's not going to happen," I assured Eobard. "I won't let it."

Eobard smiled at me. "Good."

Together we savored our drinks in comfortable silence. Eobard didn't realize it but the unexpected gesture meant a lot to me. I tried not to let it show around him but I constantly missed my family. Having drinks with Eobard helped give me a sense of normality for the first time in weeks. I knew the feeling would be short lived but I basked in every second of it.

###

A smile grew on Lector Santini's face as his most trusted guard lifted the dome covering his dinner. Chunks of partially cooked flesh mixed with celery and other vegetables floated throughout the bloody broth. Lector set a napkin on his lap and scooted his chair forward. As he did the guard poured him a glass of deep red wine.

"So, were your contacts on the force able to get what I wanted?" Lector asked as he picked up his spoon.

"Yes they were," the guard replied. He set the wine bottle aside and took out his phone. After a few short taps on the screen he held the phone in front of Lector.

The man quietly ate his soup as he watched the security footage. Only a minute or two after Michael entered the bank he was interrupted by a man in a red suit and a woman in a hooded silver suit. He leaned forward with fascination when the woman's eyes and hands glowed a blended purple and blue color.

"Is this the only copy?" Lector asked. He kept his eyes on the screen as a fight broke out.

"Yes," the guard replied. "This is all that remains of what really happened."

Lector frowned when Michael used his power to create an impenetrable shadow. He was about to tell his guard to stop the video when he saw a sphere of light break through the darkness. Soon afterwards the darkness vanished and the man in the red suit was injecting something into Michael's neck. The men instantly vanished in a flash of lightning leaving the woman in silver alone.

"Who is she?" Lector asked, pointing the spoon at her.

"People are calling her the Silver Hood," his guard replied. "Supposedly she can create shields ."

Lector tapped the phone screen with his pinky to pause the video. His eyes hungrily followed every curve of her slender frame. His gaze stopped when he saw faint marks wrapped around her neck.

"Later you will put a copy of this video on my personal computer," Lector instructed. "For now, leave and _do not_ disturb me."

The guard nodded and put his phone away. He quickly left the room making sure to shut the door behind him.

A soft moan escaped Lector as he closed his eyes. His mouth watered when he imagined cutting the woman in silver into perfectly thin slices. Even before his transformation he had never craved flesh and blood so intensely. He had to have her no matter the cost.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next one is going to have a Halloween theme since that's where it falls in the show's timeline. Stay tuned for costsumes, gore, and possibly drunk-off-her-ass Caitlin.


	6. Chapter 5

I'd like to thank those that remained followers to this story during my unannounced hiatus. My life suddenly took a depressing turn that I am still dealing with. Writing this chapter has helped me deal with it in a way.

Enjoy

* * *

Despite the fact that I drank entirely too much bourbon the night before I somehow managed to only have a minor hangover. For the most part I didn't really remember anything. The one thing I did remember was drunkenly asking Eobard why there were no more cows in the future. He told me the answer but unfortunately I couldn't remember what it was. After that I'm pretty sure he grew tired of dealing with my shenanigans because he took me down to my room and put me in bed to sleep it off.

 _Well, that was fun while it lasted,_ I thought as I gathered up a change of clothes. _He's never going to give me alcohol ever again._

I set my clothes on the corner of the sink in my bathroom and stripped down to my bare skin. I turned on the shower to a scorching hot temperature then faced the mirror behind me. I frowned as I stared at my bruised reflection. The red marks on my neck now had blue at the edges and swelled considerably since yesterday. I ran my fingers along the base of my neck light enough to not hurt myself.

 _Ugh...they look nasty..._ I thought sadly. _I can't believe this is really my life now._

After a quick shower I dressed myself in the workout clothes I previously picked out. The black capris covered most of the bruises on my legs. My black shirt, however, showed almost every bruise I got in the fight at the bank the previous night. The pointed neckline and short sleeves left the bruises fully exposed around my neck as well as my arms.

As I walked out into the hall someone stepped in front of me. I involuntarily gasped when I nearly walked into Barry. He narrowly managed to keep himself from dropping the coffee cups in his hands.

"Sorry!" we said in unison.

The speedster and I awkwardly laughed together.

"I, uh, got you some coffee," Barry said, holding up the coffee cups. He swiftly read the labels on each cup and handed one to me. "I had Iris add an espresso shot this time. I figured you would need a pick me up this morning."

I smiled down at the hot drink in my hands and then looked up to Barry.

"Thank you," I said gratefully. "It means a lot to me."

Barry suddenly sniffed the air and made an odd face.

"Why do I smell alcohol?" he questioned me.

As soon as he said that I vaguely remembered spilling a drink all over my lap the night before. That had been the real reason Eobard cut me off not because of the cow question.

"I don't smell anything," I lied. Then I took a sip of my coffee.

Barry clearly didn't believe me but he didn't call me on it. Instead he followed me into the hall and walked beside me as I made my way to the training room.

"While I'm thinking about it I'm sorry we never had the chance to go out for drinks last night," Barry apologized. He had a small frown as he spoke.

"Don't worry about it, Barry," I said in reply. "I didn't actually expect to go. I was just joking."

"I had every intention of taking you but a lot of stuff happened," he went on. "That's why I'm going to make it up to you."

"Barry—"

"It's non-negotiable, Evelyn. You're going to have fun whether you want to or not."

I held back a laugh. "Fine. If you want me to have fun that bad I guess we can do...whatever it is we're doing. What are we doing, exactly?"

"I was thinking we grab some dinner," Barry replied, rubbing the back of his head. "It wouldn't be anything fancy but it's better than eating dinner by yourself every night."

I hated to admit it but frequently eating dinner by myself usually gave me strong bouts of depression. Dr. Wells made sure the fridge in the employee lounge was always stocked with fresh, high quality food so I could make myself practically anything for lunch and dinner. Every once in a while Caitlin joined me but every time she left I felt an overwhelming sense of emptiness.

 _It would be nice to eat dinner out for once…_ I thought gloomily.

I reiterated the thought with a more cheerful attitude. Barry grinned as he promised to come get me after he finished with his day job. I bid Barry goodbye before he ran off. I finished off the rest of my coffee as I continued down the hall. Dr. Wells and I reached the training room at the same time.

"Good morning," he greeted formally. "I see you can finally walk straight."

I rolled my eyes when I saw the smirk on his face.

"You're so funny you should be a _stand up_ comedian," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

Dr. Wells let out a short laugh. "Not bad…for you."

I hid a minute smirk as I shut the door behind us. Eobard stood from the wheelchair and stretched his arms above his head. I used my powers to levitate my empty coffee cup into the bathroom trash can. Eobard shook his head at my laziness.

"What?" I asked defensively. "I'm practicing my aim."

"Would you like the same lecture I gave Barry about misusing his ability?" Eobard asked as he crossed his arms.

I sighed softly. "Point made. So, what are we doing today?"

"You're going to work on your speed," Eobard responded. He gestured to the usual target lineup. "You are going to hit the targets with multiple blasts from both hands as fast as you can _without_ using momentum from a throw. That method was only necessary at first so you could actually hit something."

 _Well fuck you too,_ I snapped bitterly.

I outstretched both hands in front of me as they emitted their bright blueish glow. Sunbolts flew out of each hand straight for the middle mannequin. As those sunbolts made contact I shot out two more. Those went straight as well so I separated my hands slightly and released rapid fire blasts at the two side targets. The stress from the swift attacks rocked the mannequins on their anchored bases.

I attempted to increase my speed even further. The glow in my eyes and hands flickered as I grew increasingly dizzy and lost my footing. Just as my legs gave out and my eyes slid shut I felt someone catch me. I was slowly lowered to the ground as something soft pressed against my nose. I forced my eyes open only to find myself in Eobard's arms. In my peripherals I saw a bundle of bloody toilet paper crumbled under my nostrils.

"Tell me when you're ready to sit up," he said quietly.

Eobard's tone was surprisingly gentle when he spoke. It helped me feel oddly relaxed in his arms. To some degree I always felt on edge around him. In that moment something seemed different but I wasn't sure what.

 _No way!_ I scolded myself. _You're just having a fangirl moment! Get over yourself! You aren't special to him or to anyone else on the team!_

I still felt a little dizzy but I assured Eobard I was fine. As I took over holding the toilet paper my hand brushed against his. A spark of red lightning jumped from Eobard's hand and zapped my own. In that moment my heart rate fluttered but I somehow managed to keep my fangirl side at bay.

"Why is this bullshit starting again?" I asked, tapping my nose with one finger. "It hasn't happened for almost two weeks."

"I don't know," Eobard replied with a troubled expression. "The technology in this time is too primitive to detect anything. Still, Caitlin will be less than pleased if she finds out we tried to keep this from her. Go upstairs and tell her what happened. She knows what tests to run."

###

Eobard watched Lauren shakily stand on her own. As soon as she was gone Eobard reached into his pocket and pulled out a circular device. He pressed a button on the side and a small projection of Gideon's head appeared.

"What can I do for you, Dr. Wells?" she asked.

"Have there been any changes to the future?" he asked the A.I.

"I'm afraid not," Gideon replied.

"Thank you, Gideon. That will be all for now."

Gideon's head nodded before she disappeared. Eobard sighed faintly as he put the device away.

 _At least it didn't get any worse,_ he thought. _I suppose all I can do now is keep a closer eye on her and make sure her condition doesn't deteriorate._

###

Eddie poked his head through the open doorway. On the opposite side of the room his boss, Captain David Singh, was going through a stack of manila folders on his desk. Eddie felt a little uneasy when he saw the displeased look on the dark-haired man's face.

"You wanted to see me, Captain?" Eddie said, making his presence known.

Singh looked up from the mountains of paperwork littering his desk.

"Can you run up to Allen's lab and see if he's finished with his report on that skeleton yet?" Singh asked, sounding obviously frustrated. "He should have been finished with it over an hour ago."

"Yeah, no problem," Eddie said with a small nod.

The blond officer left Singh's office to make his way through the crowd of coworkers. He briskly walked across the hall and up the stairs until he reached Barry's lab. When Eddie stepped through the open doorway he found Barry typing away at his computer.

"Hey, Barry," Eddie greeted as he approached the young man's desk.

Barry looked up slightly startled but then he smiled.

"Hey, Eddie," he said in return. "What's up?"

"Captain Singh wanted your report on that skeleton we found this morning," Eddie told him.

"I'm finishing it now," Barry responded. His fingers picked up speed before he hit a shortcut to print the document.

"So what did you find out?" Eddie asked as Barry stapled the report together.

"Not much," Barry replied with a frown. "The victim is male and died within the last twenty-four hours. We won't know who he is until his DNA results are done."

"Cause of death?"

"Decapitation." Eddie made a face like he wanted to vomit while Barry rambled on. "What's interesting though is _before_ this guy got decapitated most of his muscles had been cut from the bones with a _very_ sharp knife. Most likely some kind of butchering knife."

"Wow..." Eddie muttered in amazement. "So now we have to deal with a murderer that butchers people...while they're still alive."

"And then beheads them," Barry added, holding out the past due report.

Eddie took the papers and tucked them under his right arm. Instead of leaving like Barry assumed he would the young officer remained in Barry's lab.

"So, Iris and I are going on a bar crawl around town Thursday night since I'm on duty Halloween," Eddie began awkwardly. "We were wondering if you, Cisco, Caitlin, and Evelyn would like to join us."

Barry thought for a moment before he smiled.

"That sounds like a lot of fun," Barry said. "I'm sure everyone would love to go."

"Great," Eddie said with a toothy grin. "It'll be great to finally meet Evelyn. Iris has told me a lot of good things about her."

"What did she say exactly?" Barry asked with a cautious tone.

"She told me that Evelyn is a very nice girl who apparently likes _a mountain_ —" Eddie made air quotes with one hand. "—of sugar in her coffee."

Barry laughed. "Yeah she does."

Eddie flashed Barry a knowing smile. "Iris also told me you two have a thing for each other," he said suggestively.

Barry's jaw fell leaving his mouth wide open.

"I—we _do_ _not_ have a thing for each other!" Barry defended adamantly. "We just talk a lot because she doesn't know a lot of people in the city!"

"I was just joking, Barry," Eddie half lied. "I figured it was something like that with how Iris was talking about her."

Barry hardly had time to open his mouth to speak when Joe entered the lab. The tall man had a grave expression on his tired face.

"We're heading to Englewood," Joe announced to the other two men.

"What happened?" Eddie asked with concern.

"There's been a break-in at Scott Burns's house," Joe informed them. "There's _a lot_ of blood but no body."

Barry's expression fell into one of dread. Michael had warned him that Lector Santini would go after his brother Scott if they didn't let him go. Barry feared that Lector had held up to the late meta's expectations. Guilt wrenched through him as he quickly gathered his forensics kit. He then followed Joe and Eddie out to the squad car for a ride to the scene.

By the time Barry, Joe, and Eddie arrived a perimeter had already been established around the entire property by several emergency vehicles. As they got out of the car Joe pointed out a blood trail that led to the street from inside the house. Barry took pictures of the dried trail with his camera as he slowly followed the detectives into the house. Barry also took pictures of the broken door frame and knob as they headed inside.

Blood splatters and smears covered the walls of the living room. Broken chair pieces were scattered across the entire floor. A wooden coffee table had been overturned and one of the legs had a smudged bloody handprint on it.

While Barry set down his kit Eddie excused himself to interview neighbors for witness statements. Once they were alone Joe approached Barry and spoke in a low voice.

"Do you think this has anything to do with his brother, Michael?" Joe questioned Barry.

Barry solemnly nodded his head in confirmation. "The blood looks like it's been here almost twenty-four hours. He was probably kidnapped to coerce Michael into stealing from Gold City Bank last night. When he was a no show Santini killed Scott and let us find the skeleton hoping word would get out to Michael."

"Did the DNA test on that skeleton come back as Burns?" Joe asked his adoptive son.

"Not yet but after seeing this…I don't doubt that it will."

Barry frowned as he thought of Scott. The man had no living relatives to claim his remains and give him a proper burial. Instead his skeleton would be buried in a pauper's graveyard where the rest of Central City's unclaimed bodies were laid to rest.

###

I anxiously twiddled my thumbs as I waited for Caitlin to finish reading my results on her tablet.

"It looks like when you used your powers it made your blood pressure rise too quickly which popped a few small blood vessels in your nose," Caitlin began, keeping her eyes on the screen. She then looked to me with a kind smile. "You can train more as long as you take it easy."

I sighed with relief. "Thanks a lot, Caitlin."

As I hopped out of the white reclined chair I noticed Caitlin lightly bite her lower lip. The subtle action prompted a memory of an episode where Barry said Caitlin only did that if something was bothering her. Seeing her do that right after I had a medical exam made me incredibly anxious.

"Is everything okay?" I asked with worry.

"Yeah, everything is fine," Caitlin insisted. "All your tests came back normal."

"I was talking about you not my tests," I said, crossing my arms. "You're doing that thing where you bite your lower lip if something is bothering you."

Caitlin pursed her lips knowing I caught her.

"Nothing is bothering me…I just wanted to ask you a personal question," Caitlin said hesitantly.

 _I didn't expect that,_ I thought with surprise.

"What is it?" I asked curiously.

"I _may_ have heard that you're going on a date with a certain speedster," Caitlin said not so innocently.

My eyes widened. _How the hell did she find out?_

"It's not—"

Cisco chose that moment to stick his nose into the conversation.

"Did I just hear that right?" Cisco asked us. He looked to Caitlin accusingly. "How did you find out before me?"

"I'm gonna stop you two right there," I said, putting one finger up. "It is _not_ a date. It's a _friendly_ dinner between _friends._ "

"That's how it all starts," Cisco said in a dreamy voice. "At first it's a dinner between friends and then it blossoms into something…more." He dramatically stared off into the distance as he waved one hand in the air.

"Aaand I'm done with this conversation," I said as I made for the exit. "I'm getting back to training."

If Caitlin or Cisco called out for me I didn't hear either of them. I blocked out everything around me until I reached my training room downstairs. As I approached the open door I heard Dr. Wells talking to someone.

"Thank you for letting me know, Barry," he said. I entered the room to see he was speaking into his phone. "I'll tell the rest of the team now. Good-bye."

Dr. Wells hung up on Barry and put the phone in his pants pocket before he turned the wheelchair towards me.

"What was that about?" I asked curiously.

"CCPD found Scott Burns's body this morning...or rather, his skeleton," Dr. Wells informed me.

I winced outwardly at the morbid news. "Of course it was. This Santini guy doesn't mess around."

"Among the entire Santini family Lector is the most infamous," Dr. Wells said informatively. "Over the past few years he has been tried for several counts of murder and acts of cannibalism but was found not guilty on all accounts."

I shrugged. "I guess money can buy anything in this universe too."

"Indeed it can."

Dr. Wells wheeled his chair to the door and quietly shut it. He removed his glasses as he stood and then carelessly tossed them onto the empty seat. He rubbed the sides of his nose with an annoyed look on his face.

"Instead of focusing on your sunbolts you're going to heal the bruises on your neck," Eobard informed me. "The solar radiation you absorb is what keeps you alive so if that energy is focused to a specific area it can potentially heal any injuries you receive. So what you're going to do is focus the energy into your neck until your bruises disappear."

I nodded and closed my eyes. Warmth wrapped around my neck as I focused the energy. The harder I concentrated the warmer my neck felt.

"You're just making your neck glow," Eobard said to me as he tried not to sound irritated.

I heard him take a few steps in my direction but thought nothing of it until I felt his hands on my neck. My eyes flew open and I reflexively pulled away from his touch. Eobard looked surprised at my reaction.

"Relax, I'm not going to strangle you," Eobard assured in a vaguely annoyed voice.

I felt my cheeks flush as I avoided eye contact with him.

"I know that..." I mumbled in embarrassment.

Once again Eobard carefully put his fingertips against my neck. This time I held still despite my skyrocketing anxiety.

"Focus the energy here," Eobard instructed. He ran his fingertips around the center of my neck. "This was the point of contact during your altercation so it has the most damage."

"Okay," I said with a curt nod.

Eobard withdrew his hands and took a few steps back. I closed my eyes and redirected the energy into my neck once again. For a few seconds nothing happened. Then I felt burning heat spread across my neck. The longer I concentrated the more intense the heat became.

 _Holy shit this hurts!_ I whined in my head.

"Don't stop," Eobard encouraged in a sharp tone. "The bruises are almost healed."

Suddenly the pain stopped and left behind a numb tingling sensation throughout most of my neck. I opened my eyes as Eobard examined my neck up close. He tilted my chin up and moved my head from side to side. He let my chin go in order to gently press his thumbs against my neck.

"Does any of this hurt?" Eobard asked, continuing to press his fingers on several different spots.

 _He almost sounds like he cares,_ I thought absent-mindedly.

"No, not at all," I replied. "Is everything okay?"

"The bruise didn't completely heal but it's now in the final stage of healing," Eobard responded as he pulled his hands back. "It should be gone in a few days."

I opened my mouth to say thank you when a loud rumble from my stomach interrupted me. Eobard raised an eyebrow at me.

"You skipped breakfast again," he stated.

"Maybe…" I grumbled as I looked at the floor.

"At the very least you should have something light in the morning," Eobard lectured as he took out his phone. He texted as he continued. "You need to eat more protein."

"I'm not the kind of person that eats two hardboiled eggs for breakfast everyday," I retorted.

"No, you seem more like the kind of person that would skip breakfast then gorge themselves on breakfast food for dinner," Eobard said as he continued typing. "I assume your breakfast food of choice is chocolate chip pancakes drowned in syrup and butter with a few strips of bacon on the side."

 _Damn, now I kinda want pancakes..._

"While that sounds _super_ delicious it's not my favorite breakfast food," I corrected him.

"Then what is?"

"Country fried steak and eggs with the eggs over easy and a side of hash browns and sausage. IHOP does it _perfectly_ in my universe."

Eobard stopped typing and gave me a look of absolute disgust.

"You actually like your steak cooked that way?" he asked in disbelief.

"For breakfast I do, yeah."

"Do you eat the bottom of a shoe for dinner as well?"

"No, I like my _real_ steak medium rare or still mooing. I'm not a _total_ barbarian."

Eobard smiled and shook his head before resuming his message. "If you insist."

"So who's your essay for?" I asked, wanting to change the subject.

"I'm sending Cisco to get us all Arby's," Eobard replied, finally putting his phone away.

I instantly perked up when I heard that.

"Arby's exists here?" I asked loudly. I spoke with way more enthusiasm than I intended but I didn't care.

"Yes it does," Eobard replied, seemingly ignoring the tone of my overly enthusiastic outburst. "It's not as good as Big Belly Burger but it's a good change."

I grinned brightly at Eobard. "I'm glad you think so. I haven't had Arby's in _years_."

"In any case he'll be back soon so we can resume your training later. I'll meet you in the cortex. I have a few things to take care of."

###

When Lauren left the training room Eobard took his phone back out. He dialed a phone number while he made sure to block his own. After one short ring a man with a thick Italian accent answered.

"Hello?" the man asked unknowingly.

"Time's up, Lector," Eobard said, distorting his voice. "Do you have it?"

"I do but there will be one change to my end of the deal," Lector responded.

Red lightning sparked in Eobard's eyes as he glared at the wall. "That's _not_ how this works," Eobard reminded him.

A notification during the call made Eobard pull the phone away from his ear to check it. His eyes widened when he looked down at the screen.

"This or nothing," Lector said as Eobard put the phone back up to his ear. "Your choice."

"I will meet you tonight," Eobard replied with confidence. "Don't be late."

Eobard hung up without waiting for a reply. He sighed heavily as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"This is going to complicate things..." he mumbled.

###

I stretched my tired arms before I checked my reflection in the mirror. My hair was still a little frizzy but there wasn't anything I could really do about it at that point. Still, at least my fishtail braid looked nice. If that style didn't take me so long to braid neatly I would do it more often.

 _Well, at least it's not bushy today..._ I thought, continuing to stare at my reflection.

A knock at my bedroom door deterred my attention. I stepped out of the bathroom as I called for whoever it was to come in. Caitlin entered with a big smile. I quickly noticed she had a lot of clothes in her arms.

"What's all that?" I asked her.

"Outfits for your date," Caitlin teased.

When Caitlin held up the outfits I got a better view. She had four different dresses, three pairs of shoes, and a small black purse with a silver chain strap.

"It's _not_ a date," I reminded her yet again. "I don't know why you and Cisco keep insisting it is."

"There's nothing wrong with a little matchmaking," Caitlin chirped happily. She briskly walked over to my bed to neatly spread all the outfits out.

"There is when the people you're matchmaking aren't into each other," I argued.

"Evelyn, I've seen you checking him out," Caitlin stated bluntly. "Cisco has too."

 _...Shit._

"I do _not_ check out Barry!" I lied poorly. Caitlin raised an eyebrow as she put her hands on her hips. "...Okay fine, _sometimes_ I check out Barry but he's just eye candy. _That's it._ "

"And _that_ iswhy I picked these out for you," Caitlin said triumphantly, gesturing to the assortment of clothes covering my bed. "I haven't worn any of these yet and we're…roughly…the same size so they should fit you."

I walked over to the bed to examine the dresses. I instantly recognized the dress Caitlin wore in the episode where she drunkenly sang karaoke with Barry. Another dress had long sleeves made of flowery lace and a sapphire blue body that flared out towards the bottom. The dress to the far right was the most basic out of all of them but it felt more my style. The short black dress had a choker style halter top and a rounded gap that dipped down to the middle of the chest.

"I guess I'll try on this one," I said as I grabbed the sleeveless dress.

"Try it on with these," Caitlin asserted, shoving a pair of black pumps in my arms.

"Caitlin…I love you and all but I am _not_ wearing these," I said as I gave the shoes back to her.

Caitlin pouted a little but put the pumps aside to grab a pair of black-strapped wedges instead. She held them out to me with a pleading look in her eyes. I thought about it for a second or two before I gave in and took the overly tall shoes from her.

" _Fine_..." I said in defeat. "But that puppy dog look won't always work."

Caitlin beamed mischievously. "I just needed it to work this one time."

We giggled as I set the shoes on the ground beside me and the dress back down on the bed. As I started to take my clothes off Caitlin faced towards the wall to give me privacy. It wasn't necessary since she acted as my doctor too but I appreciated the gesture. I dressed myself carefully so I wouldn't mess up my hair and slipped the wedges on.

"You can turn around now," I said as I adjusted the shoes' straps.

Caitlin faced me again with a huge smile. "It fits you perfectly!"

"It's pretty comfy too even though it doesn't have a back," I admitted.

Caitlin and I made our way upstairs in companionable silence. Barry had already been waiting for me in the cortex by the time we got there. Other than a red button up shirt Barry was dressed in his normal clothes and his messily spiked hair looked pretty much the same.

"Hi, Barry," I said cheerfully.

"Hey, you ready to go?" Barry asked, smiling at me.

Somehow that dazzling smile of his suddenly made me incredibly nervous. My cheeks grew hot as my heart beat faster and faster.

"Yup, all set!" I replied, forcing a smile.

"Aaand _click_!"

A camera shutter brought mine and Barry's attention to a side office. Cisco bore a mischievous smile and I noticed he had his phone's camera pointed directly at us.

"What are you doing?" Barry asked him suspiciously.

"Don't you want to remember your first date?" Cisco asked as he put his phone away.

"It's not a date!" Barry and I argued simultaneously.

"Friends can have dinner too, you know," Barry added as yet another reminder.

"Speaking of which let's skidoo before the paparazzi—" I gave Cisco an accusatory look. "—decides to take more pictures of us."

Before Cisco had the chance to retort Barry used his super speed to rush us out of the lab. The blurry world around me came into focus as we stopped in an alley next to a Japanese restaurant. Like the gentleman he was Barry held the door open for me. I politely thanked him and walked inside while he trailed behind.

My mouth watered instantly from the delicious smell wafting through the Asian restaurant. When Barry asked for a table for two the host informed him there would be a fifteen minute wait. I looked around at the various people seated on the cushioned benches lining the entrance.

 _I'm surprised the wait isn't going to be any longer than that,_ I thought pessimistically.

Barry and I seated ourselves at the end of the bench near the door. We sat there in an awkward silence before I decided to speak up.

"So, how did you find out about this place?" I asked him.

"I saw an ad about it in the Picture News," Barry admitted. "It looked interesting so I figured we should give it a try."

"It smells really good in here and it's packed so that's a good sign."

We idly chatted until our turn to be seated finally came. A pretty girl with long black hair in a high ponytail led us from the host stand to our table. She took our drink orders and when she left Barry walked me to the buffet area.

The food looked beyond delicious especially for a buffet. I grabbed several pieces of sweet potato tempura, spicy tuna roll, and eel sushi. I also added a small bowl of miso soup to my plate as well as a ramekin loaded with tempura sauce. As for Barry, he asked the sushi chef to make three complete rolls of sushi to accompany a rather large pile of hibachi steak. He also got two bowls of miso soup and tempura veggies for himself. By time I ate half of my spicy tuna roll Barry already ate everything on his side of the table except for half a California roll.

 _I can't believe I'm still not used to his speed eating,_ I thought.

"The food here is really good," Barry said after wiping his face with a napkin.

"I can tell," I said with a smile.

After that Barry ate the rest of his food at the same pace as me. A young man came by to clear the table as Barry and I stood to get dessert. I scooped green tea and adzuki flavored ice cream into a small bowl for myself and topped it off with green tea mochi. Barry settled for some vanilla soft serve ice cream in a cone. Being the adult he was rainbow sprinkles covered nearly every inch of his ice cream.

"Thanks again for this, Barry," I said sincerely as I sat back down at the table with my dessert. "It's nice to get out once in a while."

"You're welcome…I just feel bad that you're stuck in the lab all the time," Barry confessed with a small frown.

"It's okay," I assured him. "I know it's for my own safety."

The expression on Barry's face shifted for a split second when I said that. I realized what I said brought up memories of the Reverse-Flash so I scrambled to find the next topic of conversation. Naturally I struggled to think of something that didn't have to do with the lab or metahumans.

Not being from this universe had a lot of disadvantages when it came to small talk between the others. Several movies I knew from my universe apparently never existed here or never got past the manuscript stage. Thankfully to everyone except Eobard I was an amnesiac so I had a bit of leeway in that area.

"So, um, have you seen any good movies lately?" I stammered. "I've gone through most of Cisco's list already but I was hoping for something different."

"What kind of different?" Barry asked curiously.

"Honestly, I'm not really sure," I admitted bashfully. "I guess I just kinda want to watch something with someone else's taste in mind."

Barry nodded knowingly. "Have you watched any musicals yet?"

That question sparked my interest instantaneously.

 _I didn't know Barry liked musicals,_ I thought with surprise.

"Uh, no, I haven't," I lied. "I know what they are and all but I haven't actually seen any yet. What do you think I'd like?"

Barry's face lit up as he excitedly rambled about his recommendations and favorite musicals. For me his taste was a little old school but I didn't have the heart to tell him that. Something about musicals gave a spark in his eyes that I had never seen in him before. I said at some point we needed to make some time to watch a musical together. Barry wholeheartedly agreed with me.

When our meals were paid for Barry and I returned to the alley beside the restaurant. He scooped me up in his arms and then dashed out into the street. Sparkling yellow lightning trailed behind us all the way back to S.T.A.R. Labs. Barry gently set me down on the ground after he came to a stop at a side entrance.

"Thanks for the lift," I said jokingly.

"No problem," Barry said with a smile.

I smiled back as I went in for a friendly hug. At the same time Barry tried to give me a handshake. We awkwardly apologized to each other and when I tried to shake his hand Barry tried to give me a hug. After another awkward apology we both settled for a small wave.

"Good night, Evelyn," Barry said to me.

I smiled up at Barry. "Good night, Barry."

Without waiting another moment Barry zoomed off into the distance. The brilliant yellow lightning faded faster than I could blink.

… _I just had a night out with the Flash,_ I thought with a small smile. _SCORE!_

I faced the building as I dug through the borrowed purse to find my keys. As I unlocked the door I felt a gust of wind and heard a speedster stop behind me.

"Did you forget something, Ba—?" I began to joke as I turned back around.

My voice cracked when I came face to face with the Reverse-Flash. His vibrating disguise and glowing scarlet eyes sent shivers of fear up and down my spine. Something about seeing Eobard donning his speedster suit immediately put me on edge.

 _Something's wrong,_ I realized fearfully.

"You're coming with me," Eobard said, his vocal cords vibrating frequently.

Without a chance to react Eobard picked me up and ran to an unfamiliar part of the city. The city's nightlife went by in blurs of color and before I knew it Eobard suddenly stopped to set me on the ground. As I looked around I realized we were standing in the middle of a warehouse. The concrete floor and blacked out windows were surprisingly clean. Every machine and table I could see had long covers over them. The two of us were the only ones in the building but I heard a car engine quietly approaching.

"What's going on?" I asked Eobard in a cautious voice.

My worries intensified when he didn't immediately answer my question. The glow in his eyes vanished and his body stopped vibrating. The man in yellow turned his head to face me.

"Do you trust me?" Eobard asked in a low tone.

That time he spoke without the voice filter trick. I had no idea what was happening but I found myself slowly nodding despite my intensifying paranoia.

"Do exactly as I say and we will be done quickly," Eobard instructed, still using his normal voice.

The garage door noisily opened which prompted Eobard to resume obscuring his appearance. A flawless black Maserati pulled in and gracefully stopped a few yards in front of us. One of the passenger doors opened and a tall brown-haired man stepped out. His all black suit screamed high class mob boss. The criminal paid me no mind as he approached Eobard.

"Where is it?" Eobard asked in his vibrating voice.

The man kept his eyes on Eobard and raised a single hand to signal someone else in the car. One man exited the vehicle on the opposite side his boss came out. He walked to the back of the car, opened the trunk to grab something inside, and then joined the three of us. He had some kind of dark sparkling rock the size of a large pumpkin in his hands. The man showed extreme fatigue as he held it in his white-knuckled hands.

The crime boss looked to Eobard for confirmation of something. Eobard turned to me again.

"Show him your power," Eobard commanded in his filtered voice.

That hadn't been on the list of things I expected to happen. Every fiber of my being pleaded for me to not to listen to Eobard. Still, I knew I didn't have a choice in the matter. My eyes glowed as I raised my right hand with the palm facing up. I created a small crystalline prism not unlike my preferred shield shape. The light crystal rotated in place as it hovered above my hand.

The man smiled a wide, toothy grin. Each tooth had been expertly filed into a sharp point. A gut-wrenching sense of dread crept up on me as I noticed the hungry look in the man's eyes.

 _Please don't let this be who I think it is…_ I begged in my mind.

I dismissed the crystal floating above my hand and my eyes stopped glowing. The man stared directly into my eyes as he licked his lips.

"You held up your end of the deal so I shall do the same," he said in a heavy Italian accent.

I barely heard the crackle of lightning before a blow to the back of the head knocked me out.

###

Cisco stared at the TV with wide, anxious eyes. A woman covered in dirt and grime held an axe in one hand while cautiously reaching for a closed door with the other. The engineer sloppily shoved buttered popcorn into his mouth as he leaned forward in his seat.

"This chick is going to get herself killed," Cisco said through a mouthful. He shook his head in shame.

The woman on the screen pushed the door open and moved to bring down her meager weapon. She stumbled slightly as her axe went through air. She regained her footing and clutched the axe with both hands. As she crept into the room a dark figure manifested behind her. The monster softly growled which caused the woman to freeze in her tracks. Accepting her fate her eyes slid shut and the grip on her axe loosened ever so slightly.

A monstrous roar escaped the creature as it lunged for the woman. Fangs sank into her neck and she let out a ragged screech. As that horrid sound reached Cisco's ears his eyes became unfocused and his eyesight went black.

Through the darkness a single light weakly glimmered. The light steadily grew brighter and a woman became visible. Her dark brown hair went down to her elbows in a single fishtail braid. A crystal floated above her right hand while her eyes glowed the same violet hue.

Evelyn's confused expression shifted into one of horror. Red lightning flashed behind her and a menacing man in a yellow suit appeared. His eyes glowed red as he struck Evelyn in the back of the head with one solid punch.

Cisco jumped when a loud noise from the television startled him out of the vision. His chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Not again…" he wheezed.

The lifelike dreams began when Evelyn showed up at S.T.A.R. Labs for the first time. At first Cisco dismissed the possibility of the dreams bearing any significance. Then he had a vision where he dove to catch a woman whose features he couldn't see but got repelled by a purple blueish light. After that he had a dream about the same woman facing down several military officers in a S.T.A.R. Labs hallway. Later the dreams went away until the day Blackout broke into the lab. Once again that dream centered around Evelyn only it showed her sending a blast of solar energy straight through Blackout's chest.

After that Cisco took every vision he had very seriously. This time was no different.

Forsaking his popcorn Cisco flipped the laptop beside him open. With a few quick commands S.T.A.R. Labs surveillance footage appeared on the screen. He flipped through several camera views before he stopped on the one that showed the side entrance Evelyn used on the few occasions she left the lab. Someone had attempted to shut the door but it stuck out from the frame about half an inch.

"Oh no…" Cisco uttered.

Cisco grabbed his phone and speed dialed Evelyn's number. The call went straight to voicemail. Dr. Wells had a strict policy that no one on the team could turn their phone off for emergency purposes regarding the Flash. Cisco immediately called Barry who took his time to answer the call.

"Hey, Cisco," Barry greeted happily. "What's up?"

"Are you still out with Evelyn?" Cisco asked as he typed more commands into the computer.

"No, I dropped her off at the lab a few minutes ago," Barry replied casually. "Why?"

"How many is a few? Two? Three?"

"Uh…two according to my watch."

Cisco typed in the last command as he ignored Barry's confused questions. He nearly dropped the phone when the security feed from two minutes prior finished playing.

"Oh my god…" Cisco uttered in disbelief.

"Cisco, what's going on?" Barry asked with worry.

"The man in yellow took Evelyn right after you dropped her off," Cisco quickly summarized. "I just watched it on the security camera."

Rushing wind sounded from Cisco's phone followed by a short silence. Not even a second later Barry sat Cisco at his desk in the cortex at S.T.A.R. Labs. Every light as well as the main computer were already on. The Flash suit was also missing from the primary display mannequin.

"I'm going to search the city," Barry said through the intercom. "Call Dr. Wells and Caitlin."

"Already on it," Cisco told his friend as he called Dr. Wells.

###

Eobard pulled back his cowl to run a hand through his messy black hair. He looked down at the futuristic machine in front of him with a minute smile. Through a clear window he watched the rock slowly pulse a white light as radiation and chemical vapors flooded the chamber.

"It's incredible how primitive Palmer Tech's security system is," Eobard said to himself.

As he admired his work the sound of a ringing phone reached his ears. Eobard ran out of the hidden room, sealed the door behind him, and stopped at his bedside table. He grew confused when he saw Cisco's name on his cell phone screen. Regardless, Eobard answered the call and put the phone to his ear.

"Hello, Cisco," he greeted formally. "I didn't expect—"

"Evelyn was kidnapped by the man in yellow!" Cisco exclaimed in a single fast breath. "I can't find her on any camera in the city and the GPS signal in her phone and smart watch have been completely disrupted! I can't turn the devices on remotely!"

"Have you told anyone else?" Eobard asked with concern.

"Yeah I already told Barry," Cisco responded. "He's already searching the city and I'm staying on the cameras in case I see something."

Eobard struggled to not grind his teeth or crush his phone in anger. With the Flash irately running through the city and Cisco's eyes on every camera there was no way for him to retrieve Lauren from Lector without revealing his identity. Eobard knew it was far too early in the timeline for that moment to come.

"Keep searching and I will call Caitlin," Eobard instructed Cisco. "We will meet you at the lab as soon as we can."

Eobard hung up without waiting for a reply. His eyes turned red as he punched the wall in anger. His fist went right through the flimsy drywall and abruptly stopped when it hit a support stud. Eobard winced as he pulled his injured hand out of the wall. Dust and drywall crumbs fell to the carpeted floor while Eobard forcibly flexed his fingers and wrist.

When Eobard's anger subsided he grew incredibly worried. He had no idea how Cisco found out mere minutes after leaving the warehouse with the dwarf star ore. For the moment Eobard needed to put that aside so he could fully concentrate on getting Lauren back from Lector without arousing suspicion from the others. Every second wasted brought her closer and closer to a gruesome end not unlike what Michael Burns went through under Lector's captivity.

###

I struggled to open my heavy eyes when I finally woke up. My temples throbbed with intense pain and my entire body felt frozen. As the grogginess dissipated I realized I was sitting up against a cold wall. I moved to stand but heard a clinking sound when I struggled to move my arms or legs.

I looked down to find my wrists and ankles bound to long heavy chains attached to the wall behind me. The dress I wore to the restaurant with Barry had been replaced by a more risqué outfit. A silky silver bathrobe that didn't even reach my knees was neatly tied closed at my hips. A lacey black bra and matching pair of panties were clearly visible through the sheer robe.

A shudder from the cold shifted my attention from the lingerie to my surroundings. I struggled to lift the chains on my wrists as I stood. There were no windows in the room and a metal door served as the only exit. Pushed up against the wall across from me was a tall metal shelving unit. All three shelves held boxes of varying sizes with labels for different cuts of meat.

Beside it stood a metal cabinet with a glass door. Through the transparent door I saw several shrink-wrapped brains neatly lined on each shelf. In total I saw two whole brains, half a brain, and two quarters wrapped separately. Each portion had a small handwritten label but I was too far away to read them.

 _What the hell am I doing?_ I asked myself. _I need to get out of here!_

I focused to manifest my powers and instantly became dizzy. I stopped the attempt before my body decided to collapse.

 _Crap...I must be too low on sunlight..._ I thought in dismay. _If I can't use my powers I don't know how I'm going to get out of here. If...when I get out of here I'm going to KILL Eobard for trading me for A FUCKING ROCK!_

My heart skipped a beat when the door opened. Lector Santini walked in with his head held high and a smile that showed off his pointed teeth. I hadn't felt that terrified since my first private encounter with Eobard after I regained my memories.

"You look even more beautiful without your mask or that ridiculous outfit," Lector said as he closed the door behind him. "I'm looking forward to having a taste of your powers."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"Like you I was affected when the particle accelerator devastated the city," Lector began, slowly approaching me. "As I'm sure you heard from your friend in yellow my appetite is a little…different from what people expect."

"With a nickname like Cannibal Lector I know exactly what to expect," I retorted before I could stop myself.

I instantly regretted speaking out while chained to a wall in nothing but undergarments. Lector didn't seem offended by it though. Based on the look on his face he actually found it somewhat amusing.

"That night I was eating the sautéed brain of some imbecile who attempted to rob the wrong house," Lector continued. He stopped walking when he was barely a foot away from me. "The blast knocked me out for many days. When I finally awoke my hunger for human flesh overwhelmed me."

My body tensed as Lector closed the distance between us. He put his hands against the wall and leaned forward until his face was mere inches from my own.

"Plants and animals no longer satisfied me," Lector said to me. "Only the taste of another human could sate my hunger. Even then I craved something…more. Soon I met my first metahuman. She was young and beautiful like you." He brushed the back of his hand against my right cheek. "I brought her home with me and we had a lovely steak dinner…then she had the nerve to stab me with a pair of scissors after she refused to stay for the night. So, I crushed her skull against the floor and ripped out her brain for an after dinner snack."

The man spoke so casually about the gory situation I almost wanted to know how many times it occurred. Almost.

"As I ate I felt something change within me," Lector continued. "Eating her brain temporarily granted me her ability to heal my injuries. That was when I started my collection."

Lector paused his story to fondly look over his shoulder at the brain cabinet.

"It's very unfortunate that I need to keep the brains frozen so they don't rot," he lamented before turning back to me. He ran the tips of his fingers along my collarbone then down to the bathrobe sash. "It's more fun when I can savor a fresh meal."

Lector slowly pulled one end of the sash until the bow came undone. He tossed the sash onto the floor and the robe fell open. I wanted nothing more than to fight him off but my fear kept me from moving. I was completely at his mercy.

I clamped my eyes shut when Lector moved his hand to my chest. I fearfully whimpered as he undid the front clasp of my bra. Feeling his warm hands roughly grab my bare chest made tears well up in my eyes. I felt disgusted and violated but fear kept me docile.

I let out an ear-piercing wail when I felt Lector's teeth sink into my left shoulder. As his teeth dug into my muscles I felt his tongue hungrily lick away the blood pouring from the wound. He groaned loudly and pressed his body against my own. Lector pulled his teeth from my body only to dig them into one side of the bite and slowly peel away the skin.

The pain, fear, and humiliation suddenly became too much for me to hold back anymore. I burst into tears as Lector quietly chewed the skin he ripped from my body.

I had no clue how long I could endure the inevitable torture at the hands of my captor. If the torture didn't break me first my body would eventually succumb from lack of sunlight. I had no idea where Barry was or what he was doing but I prayed he would find me before my time ended.

###

Hours went by with no signs of Evelyn or the man in yellow. Numerous scans for excessive amounts of radiation came up empty. That meant Evelyn's internal solar energy reached a level so low she registered as a normal human. Despite their lack of success the team refused to sleep and kept themselves up throughout the night with endless pots of coffee. Even so the lack of results and worry for Evelyn was wearing down on them all especially Barry.

During yet another pit stop at the lab Barry sat alone. Wrappers from the protein bars Cisco formulated specifically for Barry filled the nearby waste bin. Dr. Wells wheeled into the cortex office where Barry isolated himself.

"This is all my fault..." Barry muttered as he looked at the floor. "I should have made sure she got in safely..."

"If there's anyone to blame for this it's me," Dr. Wells said solemnly. "I should have ensured the facility had a better security system."

"What if we don't find her before she runs out of solar radiation?" Barry asked desperately. His voice cracked slightly. "Or what if the man in yellow already killed her? What if—?"

Barry cut himself off when his cell phone rang. The screen read that Joe was calling so Barry answered.

"Anything?" he asked desperately.

"I may have found a lead but you're not going to like it," Joe warned him. "We just busted three cops for corruption and theft. Two of them blew their brains out before we could interrogate them but we managed to secure the third. When I interrogated the guy he said his partners killed themselves because they were afraid."

"Of what?" Barry dared to ask.

"Lector Santini." Barry's expression fell when Joe said that name. "Apparently the footage from when Michael Burns broke into the bank didn't get corrupted…it was stolen and given to Lector."

"Why did Lector want the only copy?" Barry asked.

"He said he was never told why and I believe him," Joe responded. "Barry…if she was handed over to this lunatic I don't know how much time she has left."

"I know. Thank you for your help. I have to go."

Barry hung up the phone and turned to Dr. Wells.

"Joe thinks Cannibal Lector is involved," Barry quickly explained. He darted out to the main cortex where Cisco vigilantly typed away at his keyboard. "Cisco, I need you to find everything you can on Lector Santini."

"I'm already on it," Cisco said, nodding at the screen.

Dozens of newspaper articles and hundreds upon hundreds of police reports appeared onscreen. Barry's eyes blurred as he used his superspeed to read every piece of information in less than two seconds. He shook his head to ward off the slight dizziness from the rush of information.

"I found his home address!" Barry exclaimed.

The gust of wind Barry caused when he ran out of S.T.A.R. Labs nearly made Caitlin drop her cup of coffee.

"Please let him get there in time..." Cisco uttered.

A beep from the computer got Cisco's attention. He glanced at the screen and his eyes widened.

"What is it?" Dr. Wells asked him.

"It's Barry," Cisco said, a smile slowly forming. "He's running faster than he ever has!"

Caitlin rushed to look at the screen as did Dr. Wells. They shared the same reaction as Cisco.

"How is this possible?" Caitlin asked in disbelief.

"Perhaps his desire to save Evelyn has motivated his body to push past its previous limitations," Dr. Wells theorized, deep in thought.

"I just hope it's enough to get to her in time..." Cisco said grimly.

###

Mind-numbing emptiness consumed me as time dragged on. There were no more tears left to shed and no more cries for help. What once sent shockwaves of pain and anguish throughout every nerve in my body no longer affected me. Even as Lector gorged himself on the blood seeping from a ragged bite on my inner thigh I no longer felt pain. I barely acknowledged the way Lector caressed my mauled legs or dug his nails into my exposed flesh.

Lector gave my thigh one last lick before he crawled on top of me. Blood dribbled down the lower half of his face as he hungrily licked his lips. I stared back at my tormentor with an utterly emotionless expression.

"That's the look I've been waiting for," Lector said joyously. He gingerly held the side of my face with one hand as he looked into my distant eyes. "The light in your eyes has finally extinguished." He reached for the inner pocket of his coat and pulled out a double-edged knife. "Now you're ready. I can't wait to add you to my collection."

 _His collection..._ I echoed in my mind. _So this is how it ends...bloody and bitten alive. Just end it already. I don't want to suffer anymore._

 _ **Is that really what you want?**_

The voice startled me but my body didn't move to show it. Lector remained blissfully ignorant of the conversation going on in my head.

 _I've been tortured and eaten alive and now I'm about to die,_ I thought morosely. _I just want everything to stop._

 _ **Stop acting so helpless. You could stop this yourself if you wanted to.**_

 _I'm too weak and there's no sunlight. What am I supposed to do? Wait for the Flash to come save me? He abandoned me here just like Eobard did._

 _ **We both know that's not true. You will live through this but only if you get up and FIGHT.**_

 _I CAN'T! My powers are—_

 _ **Stronger than you realize. There is light in the world even if you can't always see it in front of you. All you need to do is sense it. Act quickly, Lauren. The sun is almost up.**_

Just like before the voice faded away. As it did Lector raised the knife above his head with the point aimed directly at my heart. In one last ditch effort I closed my eyes in concentration. I tried and tried but sensed nothing. Lector brought the knife down in one hard swing.

Then I felt it.

Off in the distance beyond my confinement the sun peeked just above the horizon. I grabbed every bit of energy I could and formed a shield around my body just before the knife touched me. The shield emitted a wave of energy that shattered Lector's knife and threw the metahuman into the wall at my feet. He slumped down to the floor seemingly unconscious.

As the seconds passed my body absorbed more and more energy. The radiation spread through me instantly healing every injury Lector inflicted on me. I gently flexed my stiff fingers and ankles before I dissolved my shield.

That was a big mistake.

Lector suddenly sprang up to lunge at me. The sick cannibal tackled me to the ground before I could react. The back of my head slammed against the ground hard enough to temporarily cloud my vision. Despite that I formed energy around my fist and punched him in the jaw as hard as I could. The added force from my ability was enough to get him off of me.

Before Lector had the chance to recover I did the first thing I could think of—I ran. I threw the door open and slammed it shut as Lector scrambled to his feet. I swiftly locked the door and jumped back in fright when Lector slammed on it from the other side.

"This won't hold me for long!" Lector shouted through the door. "When I get out of here I'm going to rip your throat out and watch you drown in your own blood!"

I ignored his insane cries as I frantically searched for a way out. The fridge that held me captive was apparently a standalone unit in a large basement. Other than the fridge the basement was completely empty. On the opposite side of the room I saw a staircase that led up to a shut door. I clasped my bra and tied the robe shut as I ran for the stairs.

A loud, unexpected bang from behind caused me to scream with fright. I encased myself in a shield as I whipped around. Lector stood in the empty doorway with a whole brain in each hand.

 _FUCK!_ I thought instantly. _I LITERALLY locked him in with the source of his power!_

Lector stared me down as he took a large bite of the frozen brain in his right hand. His muscles rippled and his spine contorted at unnatural angles. His dress clothes vanished as he sprouted grey fur all over his body and his head elongated. Within seconds I found myself staring down a massive silverback gorilla.

Gorilla Lector pounded his chest and roared before he charged. His animal form let out feral cries of rage as he slammed his massive fists against my shield. Every impact caused cracks that quickly grew until I couldn't hold it any longer. I collapsed along with my shield. As Gorilla Lector raised his fists for the final blow my vision blurred. My eyes struggled to focus but I could tell I somehow made it to the other side of the room.

"Stay here," a familiar voice commanded gently.

 _Barry!_ I realized in astonishment.

Barry ran full pelt at Gorilla Lector and knocked him back with a single punch. Barry stopped a few feet away from the fallen meta and then faced me with a proud look on his face. His pride vanished when he saw the state I was in.

Something shifting behind Barry caught our attention. Lector had morphed back into his human form and sat up while noisily chewing something. Fear arose again when I realized a chunk of the brain in his left hand was gone. Lector looked me in the eyes as he swallowed.

"Did he just eat part of a brain?" Barry asked with disgust using his modified voice.

"It's his power!" I explained in a panic. "If he eats a metahuman brain he gets their power!"

Lector's irises suddenly glowed bright green. Remembering Rainbow Raider I tried to close my eyes but it was too late. My body went limp and I painfully crumpled to the ground at the same time as Barry. I tried to get back up but I couldn't even make a finger twitch.

"Guys, we can't move!" Barry said into the communicator.

Lector set the frozen brains on the ground before he stood. The man brushed off his shoulders and adjusted his suit jacket. He held an air of arrogance as he stepped over Barry and strolled towards me. Lector knelt on the ground next to me and grinned. I felt queasy when I saw he had small bits of brain stuck between his bloodstained teeth.

"I told you I was going to rip your throat out," Lector said. He brushed hair out of my face and held the side of my face. "Now your sidekick gets to watch."

I heard Barry questioningly mutter "sidekick" and resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Lector roughly grabbed me by the shoulders and slowly lifted me up.

"Prism, use the technique from this morning!" Barry suddenly cried out.

 _This morning?_ I repeated in confusion. _Oh, duh! I'm an idiot._

As my feet dangled above the ground I focused energy into my hands. I thrust the energy forward without moving and hit Lector hard enough to make him drop me. When he stumbled I felt my mobility instantly return and easily landed on my feet. I closed my eyes before Lector could paralyze me again and unleashed a wave of rapid fire sunbolts into his chest. Lector screamed in agony as the barrage of energy collided with their target.

After a few seconds I stopped my attack and dared to crack one eye open. Lector lay on the ground groaning in pain. Most of his chest was exposed from my attack burning away the clothes. The skin already took on a bright red color and blisters began to form.

 _He deserves more for what he did to me,_ a dark voice in the back of my mind whispered.

I focused energy into my hands again and barely took a step forward when Barry spoke up.

"Prism, it's over," he said.

I refused to take my eyes off Lector or lower my hands.

"No, it's not," I said in a monotone voice. "This _sick fuck_ needs to pay for what he did to me."

"And he will," Barry assured me. "He's going in the pipeline where he won't be able to hurt anyone else."

"He didn't just _hurt_ me, Flash!" I wailed, my rage boiling over. "He _tortured_ me and did horrible… _disgusting_ things to me! He _defiled my body!_ He doesn't deserve the pipeline!"

 _He deserves DEATH!_ I screamed internally.

I raised one hand above my head fully prepared to end Cannibal Lector's life.

"Dr. Wells said to stop!" Barry cried as I brought my hand down.

In spite of my raging emotions I somehow forced my hand to stop. My hand hovered dangerously close to Lector's unconscious body. Even though I stopped my hand I refused to stop my powers.

"He wants to talk to you," Barry continued. He removed the lightning-shaped communicator from his cowl and held it up against my right ear. "Go ahead."

"Can you hear me?" Dr. Wells asked unsurely.

"...Yes," I said after a moment.

"Evelyn, I can scarcely imagine how you must be feeling right now," Dr. Wells said in a gentle voice. "I know I failed to keep you safe and for that I'm truly sorry."

My emotions flooded me all at once. The light in my eyes and around my hand flickered as my state of mind fluctuated. Tears built up in my eyes but I refused to let them show.

"I know Lector has done unspeakable things to you but you are so much stronger than this," Dr. Wells went on. "Don't let this moment _destroy your future_."

 _Destroy the future…_ I repeated. _If I kill Lector it must affect the timeline somehow._

I dismissed my powers and wiped away the tears with the back of my hand. I looked back down at Lector, pulled back my right foot, and thrust it into his jaw as hard as I could. It took tremendous control to not kick the opposite side so his injuries would mirror each other.

"You're lucky Dr. Wells gives a damn good speech," I spat down at his unconscious body. I faced Barry who seemed less than pleased that I just kicked Lector in the face. "Please take me home and lock this asshole in the pipeline."

Soon I was on a gurney in the cortex medical room. After Barry dropped Caitlin off in front of me he shut the privacy curtain. When Caitlin realized I was finally back she immediately began to assess my condition.

"How did you heal so quickly?" Caitlin asked in astonishment as she examined my arms. "This morning you couldn't completely heal a bruise."

For the first time since it happened I looked down at myself. In the moment I felt my injuries heal but I assumed they healed flawlessly. Instead teeth marks and solid oval marks from where Lector peeled away my skin scarred most of my body. My eyes remained fixated on the horrid reminders when I spoke.

"I healed myself when the sun rose," I replied simply.

"Evelyn…" Caitlin began hesitantly. She pursed her lips as if debating whether or not to continue. "You just went through something _very_ traumatic and…I just want you to know that it's okay to let yourself cry."

As those words left her mouth I felt my eyes sting as tears welled up. For the first time in a long while my eyes unwittingly began to glow. I forcefully blinked my eyes a few times and the glow stopped when I suppressed the storm of emotions brewing inside me.

"I can't allow myself that right now," I muttered, avoiding eye contact with Caitlin. "I'm already feeling too much."

"Evelyn—"

"Please just get me something else to wear," I snapped in a pleading tone.

I interrupted Caitlin in a voice that came out louder and more cruel than I intended. The hurt look on Caitlin's face instantly made me feel guilty. Part of me wanted to apologize but I remained silent as the young doctor opened the middle drawer of a nearby cabinet.

###

Lightning raged in the sullen hero's eyes as he recounted what happened after his arrival at the Santini mansion. When Barry described the scars Cisco became visibly sick as he seated himself in a nearby chair. Dr. Wells fought to mask his emotions but some anger leaked through his nearly flawless façade.

"That _monster_ doesn't deserve to be in the pipeline," Barry spat as his anger grew. "Now I regret stopping her from killing him so I could do it myself."

"You don't mean that, Barry," Dr. Wells asserted.

"Yes I do!" Barry declared fervently. "If I had just made sure Evelyn got inside safely instead of leaving her alone this wouldn't have happened! She can't even remember who she is and now this is going to haunt her for the rest of her life!"

" _You_ did not cause this, Barry Allen," Dr. Wells reiterated firmly. "The one responsible is locked in the pipeline _where he will remain unharmed_ until he can be tried for his crimes."

"Because that worked out so well every other time he was on trial…" Cisco mumbled sourly. Dr. Wells gave him a pointed stare. "I'm sorry but I think we all know that's what will happen if we hand him over to the police."

Dr. Wells clearly wanted to argue against Cisco but held his words back. He suddenly looked through the window behind Barry and subtly nodded in that direction. Cisco immediately stood out of the chair and followed Barry out of the office. Dr. Wells exited last and caught up with the others by the computer desk in the cortex.

Evelyn trudged out of the medical room in a daze. Instead of the bloodied bathrobe she wore a clean but heavily wrinkled set of S.T.A.R. Labs workout clothes. Caitlin gingerly kept one hand on her patient's lower back during the short walk to the others. The broken meta stared blankly ahead seemingly unaware of the three men before her.

"Evelyn?" Barry whispered with uncertainty.

Evelyn continued to stare into space without any sign of acknowledgment towards Barry.

"She's been going in and out of shock," Caitlin explained to her colleagues. "For now she needs rest."

"Did you give her any fluids yet?" Dr. Wells questioned with concern.

Suddenly Evelyn shook her head and blinked rapidly. She slowly glanced towards Dr. Wells while a blank expression remained on her face.

"I don't want any," Evelyn said to him. "Can you just take me to my room please, Dr. Wells? I really need to take a nap."

Dr. Wells nodded solemnly. "Of course." He briefly faced Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin in turn. "I'll be right back."

Evelyn and Dr. Wells maintained mutual silence during the painstakingly slow trip downstairs. When they finally reached Evelyn's room Dr. Wells shut the door behind them. Dr. Wells looked to Evelyn but she kept her back to him. She merely stood in the middle of the room staring at the wall.

"Lauren—"

Lauren's fists and eyes glowed so brightly Eobard had to momentarily shield his eyes.

"Give me _one_ reason why I shouldn't kill you for what you put me through," Lauren snarled at the wall.

Eobard once again became silent as he carefully calculated his answer.

"The item I hired Santini to steal was dwarf star ore," he finally said to her.

The glow around her hands and in her eyes momentarily flickered before going out. Lauren whirled around with all of her anger replaced by bewilderment.

"What the hell do you need _that_ for?" she asked him.

The genuine curiosity in Lauren's voice almost made Eobard grin.

"Dwarf star ore is the primary component required for the power source we need to get to my time," Eobard explained, standing as he spoke. "Lector Santini was the only person who could have stolen the amount required without disrupting the timeline."

"Let me guess, you offered me up hoping I would die and you wouldn't have to take me to the future," Lauren said as she crossed her arms.

"You weren't part of my original bargain with Lector," Eobard explained honestly. "After he saw the footage of you fighting Michael Burns he became _obsessed_ with finding you and taking your powers. He refused everything else I offered him."

As Eobard went on he took several slow, cautious steps towards Lauren. She appeared wary of his actions but didn't move from her spot a few feet away. Her thin, scarred arms remained in their defensive folded position.

"I was about to take you back when I received a call from Cisco saying that you were kidnapped by the man in yellow," Eobard continued. He added a small hint of desperation to his voice for effect. "By that point Barry was already scouring the city and Cisco had his eyes on every camera. If I had used my speed to save you my identity would have been revealed and neither of us would have made it to the future. I know you suffered greatly tonight, but all that pain will be worth it now that we have the dwarf star ore."

"It fucking better be," she spat to the speedster. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed. I deserve sleep after all this bullshit."

Eobard forced a smile and nodded slightly. "Of course," he said. "Good night, Lauren."

"...Good night, Eobard," Lauren hesitantly responded.

Eobard returned to his wheelchair and let himself out. Lauren stared at the door for quite some time before she realized she was still standing and not in bed. She shook her head to clear her muddled thoughts and trudged to her bed. The once stiff mattress felt like airy cotton in comparison to the freezing wall she had been chained to.

Lauren tightly wrapped the bedsheets around herself as varying memories resurfaced. She remained awake silently sobbing for hours well into the afternoon. Eventually her distressed body could no longer stay awake and Lauren finally nodded off. Vile nightmares filled with blood and evil's lust plagued what little sleep she got that day.

In a dimly lit dive bar on the rougher side of Central City a man wearing sunglasses sat at a round table in a secluded corner. Across from him a woman with cherry red hair hesitantly looked down at the two shots of whiskey between them.

"What are you so scared of, Letty?" the man questioned.

"You've heard the rumors about that red blur and his sidekick," the woman, Letty, argued with worry. "It's not a good idea, Roy."

"Alone it's not," Roy lowered his voice before he continued, "but he also doesn't know what happens when we use our powers together."

Letty suddenly smiled mischievously and grabbed one of the whiskey shots. Roy picked up the other shot glass, held it out to Letty, and in turn Letty gently tapped her glass against Roy's.

"Cheers," the criminals said in unison.

* * *

Despite the gore I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Stay tuned for chapter six.


End file.
